ComUNICO September 09.indd

“Service
above Self
”
ROAD TRIP WITH
TONY BENNETT
Page 35
2009 NATIONAL
CONVENTION RECAP
Pages 6, 25-28 & 51-52
UNICO NATIONAL
AWARD WINNERS
Page 33
UNICO National President
ANDRÉ DiMINO
& First Lady Jenny
DEANA MARTIN
HONORED
Pages 6 & 26
The largest Italian American service
organization in the United States
29- August 2, 2009R
Eastern Regional Meeting
2009—2010 Calendar
November 2009
Location TBD
Western Regional Meeting
January 2010
Location TBD
Mid-West Regional Meeting
March 2010
Location TBD
Mid-Year Board Meeting
March 2010
Location TBD
2010 Convention
from the
president’s desk
ANDRéAdimino
I am so proud and
honored to be your
National
President!
And, I am very aware of
the great responsibility
and trust you have
placed in me to
direct this venerable
organization over the
next year. Believe me,
I do not take it lightly
and I assure you that
I will do my best to
exceed your expectations. I am counting on
each and every one of you, my dear friends,
fellow members and UNICO family, to join with
me in making this a great UNICO year - a year
when we will build upon recent successes as
well as aim for some new goals that I’m going
to challenge you to achieve. And, while we do
our UNICO work, let’s remember to have fun
and enjoy our time together!
Our National Convention in Lake
Las Vegas was an incredible success and an
unforgettable experience for me and my wife,
Jenny. We are so glad that so many of you were
there to join in the fun and to conduct our
important UNICO business. We are grateful
for everyone’s support and good wishes for a
successful UNICO year.
Before my challenges to you, I want to
extend my personal thanks to someone who
put his heart and soul into making our National
Convention a success. For the past 3 years he
worked tirelessly, literally day and night, on
each and every detail of the convention. What
energy, enthusiasm and expertise! Thank you,
Paul Alongi, for everything! And, thanks to all
of the other members of the 2009 convention
committee. Your hard work and dedication
gave us an outstanding convention! I would
also like to thank someone who worked closely
with me on assembling our great selection of
entertainment at the convention - John Alati
and his entertainment expertise!
Now, on to my plan for the coming year!
It can be summarized in three words plus an
“Essential Re-Commitment.”
First, the three words - Continuity,
Growth and Outreach.
Page 2
July 28 - August 1, 2010
• The First Word - Continuity
In their wisdom, our UNICO forefathers
determined that the leadership of our National
Organization should change each year with
a new President. This is certainly a way to
bring new ideas and a fresh perspective every
12 months. But, it can leave insufficient time
for an important initiative to be fully realized.
Now is one of those times.
A year ago, Kathi Strozza put forth her
plan as National President which included
the reorganization of UNICO National’s
administrative operations. I want to extend
my personal thanks and the thanks of this
entire organization to Kathi for her success
in achieving an incredibly positive change in
UNICO. She, along with the new staff members
at our National Office, changed the way we do
business, and it is paying dividends every day.
As I said, with a change in Presidents there is
the possibility of losing the advances we have
made. But to continue with the improvements
to our National Office, I have appointed Kathi
as Presidential Advisor on Operations, and I
am counting on her continued dedication in
launching Phase 2 of our reorganization. That’s
what I mean by continuity!
• The Second Word - Growth
To keep UNICO viable and healthy we
must increase our membership.
Membership and Retention Director
Rick D’Arminio has been energetic in his
responsibilities and I am counting on him to
continue his efforts. But, we should all help
Rick! There is one way we certainly can and
that is with a stronger emphasis on Retention.
We do well each year in bringing in new
members, both through new members joining
current chapters and chartering new chapters.
But as they are “coming in the front door,” nearly
an equal amount, “are leaving through the back
door.” If we can stem the tide of these departing
members, UNICO will grow. To assist Rick
in this effort, I am forming a “Retention Swat
Team.” This team will formulate a Retention
Response Procedure and then implement it. I
am very pleased to tell you that John DiNapoli
has agreed to serve as Captain of the Retention
Swat Team. If you would like to be on the Team
or have suggestions for Retention, please let us
know.
An important way UNICO can grow
is through bringing more young people into
our organization. I know, from first-hand
(See President’s Message on Page 23)
ComUNICO
Hershey Lodge- Hershey PA
EDITOR’S DESK
Matteo Risi
ComUNICO
Ancora!
It has been a pleasure to serve as
the editor of your ComUNICO magazine
during the Presidency of Kathi Strozza. I
thank Kathi for the opportunity to serve
UNICO.
I am truly honored to continue as
editor for our new national president,
André DiMino.
Please keep your chapter
contributions coming! My goal is to
showcase all of your good works and
I am always very impressed by the
achievements of all of our chapters large
and small.
E-mail with digital photos are the
best way to submit your news. Paper
documents and photo prints that we
receive in the mail require re-typesetting
and scanning. As a result we may not
have time to include your material into
ComUNICO.
Once again, I thank our ComUNICO
proof reader, Marianne- Lalli Regan of
the San Diego Chapter for her expert
assistance.
Matteo Risi
Send chapter news to Matteo Risi at:
e-mail: [email protected]
or by mail to:
Matt Risi- UNICO
c/o Minuteman Press
7525 Metropolitan Drive
Suite 303
San Diego, CA 92108
Cell: (619) 993-3913
Fax: (858) 278-9408
September 2009
CONTENTS
NEWS FROM UNICO NATIONAL
Pages 2-5.............................................ViewPOINT
André DiMino................................................President
Christopher DiMattio.........Executive Vice President
Glenn Pettinato.............................1st Vice President
David Donnini................................2nd Vice President
Michael Veselka...........................3rd Vice President
Frank Greco...................................................Treasurer
Michael Pisano..............................................Secretary
Frank T. Blasi, Esq. ...........................General Counsel
Richard D’Arminio......Membership & Retention Dir.
Gerard Heytink.............................Expansion Director
Joan Tidona...............................Scholarship Director
Michael Fiorelli.................................................Auditor
John Morano....................................Sergeant-at-Arms
Rev. Robert Wolfee.........................................Chaplain
Bernie Bruto.....................Eastern Regional DG Chair
Nina Held.........................Midwest Regional DG Chair
Jim DiSpenza...................Western Regional DG Chair
2
PRESIDENT’S message
4
First LAdy’s message
2
editor’s DESK
5
chaplain’s MESSAGE
pageS 5-7, 16, 31..............NATIONAL REPORTS
pageS 6, 25-28, 51-52......2009 Convention
PageS 7, 24....................................BOOK REVIEWs
PageS 8-13, 15, 17-19, 21-22, 24, 30, 32-33.................
..........................................................CHAPTER NEWS
page 14.................................................OBITUARIES
page 20.....................................................anti-bias
NEWS FROM AMERICA & ITALY
PageS 35-37...............................................AMERICA
35 newsmakers
35 sCIENZA
39 legends
35 LOU & A
37 sports
40 Libri
PageS 43-45.....................................................ITALIA
UNICO Charity Chairs
COOLEY’S ANEMIA
Sharon Thompson
[email protected]
MENTAL HEALTH
Barbara Lipari Laborim
[email protected]
21ST CENTURY
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Chris DiMattio
888-845-3622 Ext. 1 Bus
570-348-3080 Fax
570-848-2582 Res
[email protected]
SCHOLARSHIP
Joan Tidona
[email protected]
‘V’ FOUNDATION FOR
CANCER RESEARCH
43 Io VAGABONDA
43 ancient rome
43 cinema
45 viaggio
Page 47......................................LA VERA CUCINA
47 in vino veritas
47 antipasti
47 Chef’s Choice
ComUNICO
Matteo Risi.....................................................................................Editor
For ComUNICO advertising information call Joe Paci at (973) 808-0035.
Frank Paolercio Sr.
973-731-5050 Bus
973-731-0202 Fax
[email protected]
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
Charitable donations to these UNICO charities are tax deductible!
Send your contributions to the UNICO Foundation at:
271 US Highway 46, Suite A-108, Fairfield, NJ 07004
Title of Publication: ComUNICO Publication No. 00647700. Filed 10/01/07. Frequency of Issue: Every Other Month No. of Issues
Published Annually: 6. Annual Subscription Price: $25.00. Mailing Address of Office of Publication, Headquarters, and Publisher:
271 U.S. Hwy. 46 West, Suite A-108, Fairfield, NJ 07004. Editor: Matteo Risi. The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this
organization and the exempt status for Federal income tax purposes has not changed during the preceding 12 months.
ComUNICO is the official publication of UNICO National. Pages 1-34,1 and 52, editorial content copyrighted by UNICO National
©2009. Pages 35-50 editorial content copyrighted by Fra Noi Inc. ©2009. The name “Fra Noi” and the front page and pages 3550 folio designs are all federally registered trademarks owned by Fra Noi Inc.
Join UNICO? Perchè No! …
Volume 64 No. 6 • ComUNICO (ISSN-1044-7202) • Total Circulation 7000+
Looking to rediscover your Italian heritage?
Looking to help your community?
JOIN the Organization of Choice!
Phone: 973.808.0035 Fax: 973.808.0043
Periodical postage is paid to Caldwell, NJ and additional offices.
Postmaster, please send Form 3579 and all address changes to:
271 US Highway 46 West, Suite A-108, Fairfield, NJ 07004-2458
The Largest Italian American Service Organization in the United States!
Join our nationwide ranks supporting charitable efforts like …
Mental Health • Cooley’s Anemia • Scholarships • Cancer Research • Local Community Needs
COVER PHOTOS UNICO National President André DiMino and his wife Jenny;
1-800-877-1492
[email protected]
Visit our website: www.unico.org
President André DiMino with Deana Martin (daughter of Dean Martin) and Dean Martin
impersonator, Andy DiMino; PNP Paul Alongi, Convention Chairman; André DiMino is
sworn in as the 2009-2010 President of UNICO National.
THE FIRST LADY OF UNICO
meet jenny dimino
The 87th Annual UNICO
National Convention at
the Ritz Carlton in Lake
Las Vegas was enchanting
and magical! It was truly
what I had dreamed
about, ever since we
began planning for it
over 3 years ago. I think
that it is a great beginning
for a terrific year for
André as National
President, and our great Organization. I want
to thank everyone, from the bottom of my heart,
for being there to share such an unforgettable
"dream-come-true" experience.
Toni and Paul Alongi - what can I
say! You made the convention an incredible
experience for myself, ç and the rest of UNICO
National. We couldn't have done it without
your hard work and dedication. For us, it
was like having André’s parents, Nancy and
Alfonso, by our side. I know they were looking
down from Heaven proudly. Thank you for
everything!
I want to expresss my heartfelt thanks
to my Woodclicff Lake Chapter for their hard
work in helping to raise funds to make our
convention the best that it could be. I also
extend my personal sincere thanks to each
and every member of the 2009 Convention
Committee. I couldn't have asked for a better
committee! In addition to the years leading up
to the convention, you helped by being there
days before it started, working on things like,
tying bows on napkins (yes, even the men tied
bows - and they did a great job!!) and stuffing
bags with all the goodies. I can't thank you
enough!
It was great to have our family there to
share such a special time in our lives. Thank
you mom and dad for being with us in love and
spirit.
I know how proud you are of André.
Thanks to my sister Anna and brother-in law,
Steve; my niece Noelle and her new fiance'
Chris; my sister-in-law, MariaElena; and, my
brother-in-law, Maurice.
I can't tell you how much it meant to both
of us to have you share such an unforgettable
time in our lives. It was also great to have so
many close friends in and out of UNICO there
to be part of this special time. We appreciate
your being there and your help in so many
ways.
It was so gratifying to hear so many
nice comments from everyone about how they
enjoyed the Convention - it made all of our
efforts worthwhile!
Now, as André starts his year as National
President, I look forward to joining with him as
he travels our UNICO world, connecting with
friends and making new ones, as we bring the
message of UNICO throughout the country. I
am particularly pleased that André is placing
a greater emphasis on our rich Italian Heritage
and Culture through his program called "Our
Shared Heritage, Our Shared Pride." I hope
Page 4
you'll join with us in this effort as we promote,
preserve and celebrate our heritage.
As First Lady, I am hoping to encourage
chapters that do not activelyparticipate on the
National level to get more involved. I know,
from first hand experience, that once you
participate on the National level, you see what
great things we can accomplish and how we
can make new friendships with people across
the country. So, please, join with me in encouraging
your chapter to have greater participation with
National.
I hope I represent you well as your new
First Lady and I look forward to meeting all of
you during the coming year.
Yours in UNICO,
Jenny DiMino
First Lady of UNICO
ITALIAN AMERICANS AND
THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
There is a dilemma for Italian Americans
who consider learning the language of their
ancestors. The formal "Italian" that is taught
in colleges and universities is generally not
the "Italian" with which Italian Americans
are acquainted. Over eighty percent of
Italian Americans are of Southern Italian
origin, and the languages spoken by their
families who arrived between 1880-1920
were dialects like Neapolitan and Sicilian,
with perhaps some degree of influence
from Standard Italian. Because the Italian
of Italian Americans comes from a time
just after the unification of the state, their
language is in many ways anachronistic and
demonstrates what the dialects of Southern
Italy used to be at the time. Because of this,
Italian Americans studying Italian are often
learning a language that does not include
all of the words and phrases they may have
learned from family.
The situation is even more
pronounced among Italian Americans
whose ancestors came to the United States
from Northern Italy. Italian Americans
variously of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardian,
Genoese,
Marchigiano,
Piedmontese,
Venetian and other Northern Italian heritage
are even further away linguistically from
the languages of their ancestors through the
contemporary standard Italian language.
Advertise in ComUNICO !!
To Advertise in ComUNICO:
chapter presidents
are you in the loop?
Are your members all receiving their
copy of the ComUNICO Magazine? ComUNICO Magazines go out every other month.
Our most recent mailing was May 2009.
Our office receives several undeliverable notifications on a DAILY basis!! This
means that our members are not getting
their magazines and not getting informed
of all the great things your fellow members
and chapters are up to.
Sometimes the post office provides us
with a forwarding address which we update so that your members will receive future copies. However, more often than not
we do not get a forwarding address.
What can you do as Chapter President?
Please take a moment at your next meeting and go over the member report that you
will be receiving shortly. The report lists
member’s address, phone numbers and
email information. If there are any changes
or updates, please let us know.
If you would like to update your personal information, please contact Patrizia
Trento at the UNICO National Office: by
phone: 973-808-0035 or by email: [email protected].
your unico national
office team
The staff of the national office is
dedicated to serving our UNICO
membership and our chapters!
Sal Benvenuti is our
Executive Administrator
Barbara Peirano serves as our
Development Executive
Pat Pelonero is our
Office Manager
Joyce O’Hara is our Bookkeeper
Patrizia Trento serves as an
Administrative Assistant
Clelia Alfano serves as an
Administrative Assistant
Contact our Development
Executive, Barbara Peirano, at the
UNICO National Office:
The UNICO
National Office
973-808-0035
973-808-0035
[email protected]
[email protected]
ComUNICO
www.unico.org
September 2009
membership and
retention
As I begin my second
term as your Membership &
Retention Director, I want
to begin by informing you
where we stand in terms of
membership by category.
PNP Anthony Fornelli
asked this question at our
Board meeting at the Lake
Las Vegas Convention and
I think we should inform
you of where we are in
each issue so that we can really strive to reach
a realistic goal by next years convention. I had
a goal of 12,000 since I truly believed it was attainable, but realistically if we look at the past
years our goal should be to try and reach 7500
by July 25, 2010 before the start of the July 28
convention in Hershey Park, PA.
We were very close to this number in 1984
under PNP, Antonio Gaglioti so this should be
our GOAL at a minimum! With approximately
135 chapters in 18 states this breaks down to
only 9-10 new members per chapter for the entire year! Now- lets face it. This is easy. So- we
obviously have to concentrate more on RETENTION as we move forward.
Our National President André DiMino issued a challenge to our Expansion Committee
under the great leadership of Gerry Heytink.
That is to expand to 26 states or at least 8 new
ones. Although he did not issue a challenge
to me and my committee, President DiMino is
asking our UNICO Foundation President John
DiNapoli to work closely with me this year
and find out why we lose 5-600 members annually.We need to have a system in place with
all chapter Presidents and District Governors
to assist us in this regard so that we can try and
save as many members as possible from leaving.
I would like to challenge all chapters to
email me a report once each month, and give
me a membership/retention report update. If
any member did not renew- please tell us the
reason. We will do our best to work with you
monthly by updating our numbers Nationally
with the home office, but we must all monitor this together for it to be successful. First,
I would ask all the Chapter Presidents and
DG’S to take a survey now and ask your members why they joined initially. Then make sure
you are matching their interests to a particular
charity and/or committee that we assist. If you
can call some members back who may have left
in the past please ask them why they left and
send me an email or call.
Now, lets finish this initial report with some
numbers. We have approximately 5225 regular
members, 193 new from Expansion, 28 National, 85 Clergy, 321 exempt life, 70 life paid, 255
youth members, 48 honorary members, 11 Associate, for a total of 6235. We also have about
50 Aces. I found a report from March 2002 that
showed 4691 regular members, 526 new, 87
youth, 93 Clergy, 26 Honorary, 2 Associate, 125
life paid, 275 exempt life, and 35 National for
September 2009
a total of 5860. I would like to see if the home
office can break down the number of members
by sex, age, etc and see if I can compare 2002
to the present to analyze where we have grown
by these various categories. I will confirm the
current numbers for year ending July 31 for the
next issue.
One of our goals is to bring in more youth
members too. I began my membership in
UNICO at the age of 22 right out of college. To
assist me in spreading the word to our youth
I asked our National President André DiMino
to appoint Marissa Gynn of the Point Pleasant
Beach, NJ Chapter as our Youth Chairwoman for
the year 2009-2010. She has great credentials
and I hope you read her articles too. While we
do see an increase from 2002 by 168, I believe
that this appointment will now give us the
opportunity to at least double to 500 or more
by July, 2010. All of your Brian Piccolo award
recipients should be members. We should all
be going to more schools and libraries in our
town and drop off issues of ComUNICO, and
spread the message! The youth are the future
of this great organization.
It would be a good idea too if we look into
starting more ACES. Many of these young students ages 13-17 look to get involved with local
community projects.
The National Convention was great. I look
forward to the challenge with all of you in the
new year. Our next issue will breakdown all
of our membership classes with an explanation of each one so that we are all on the same
TEAM.
Remember that TEAM = Together Everyone
Achieves More. This will be our motto.
Richard L D’Arminio
201-704-1146
[email protected]
[email protected]
Since the inception of UNICO National
in 1947, thousands of people and
individual charities have been the
recipients of UNICO's charity. Hundreds
of thousands of dollars have been raised
for national and international disasters.
Typical of this generosity was the gift
of $500,000 to create 10 buildings in
Italy to house those suffering form the
ravages of an earthquake disaster.
Each year, UNICO Foundation
and UNICO National Chapters donate
approximately $1 million to various
charities. Scholarships continue to be
the primary focus, as roughly one-third
of all monies raised goes to deserving
students nominated by individual
chapters across the country.
UNICO National has funded
major research in Cooley's Anemia and
Mental Health. Through its association
with the Jimmy Valvano Foundation
it has funded several $50,000 grants
to help find a cure for Cancer. These
worthy areas continue to receive
generous support from the chapters and
its members for these worthy causes.
ComUNICO
chaplain’s message
father bob wolfee
The book Children’s
Letters
to God” reveals
how at ease children are when
they
converse
with God. For
example,
Jane
asks God, “Instead of letting
people die or
having to make
new ones, why don’t you keep the ones
you got?” Larry suggests, “Maybe Cain and
Abel would not kill each other … if they
had their own rooms. It works with my
brother.” Mickey confides to God, “If you
watch in church on Sunday, I will show
you my new shoes.” There is something to
be learned here about how we should approach God.
God provides for us in many ways.
He wants to share his guidance with all of
us. All we have to do is ask for it. Children
know how to accept help because they realize that they are dependent on others.
However, at times, we adults become so accustomed to doing things on our own that
we can lull ourselves into believing that we
can do everything on our own. One thing
we certainly cannot accomplish on our own
is to save ourselves. We must acknowledge
that Jesus is our Savior.
We need to rely on God for many
other things and in many other circumstances. We have to trust in him the way
children trust in their parents and other
adults. When Jesus welcomed the little
children and blessed them, he advised the
people to be childlike in their faith so they
too would be welcomed into the kingdom.
What is childlike faith? It is faith that freely gives love without conditions or restrictions. It is to trust in God who has so much
good in store for us. It is reliance on God’s
providence and guidance when difficulties
arise. It is persistence when we pray and
determination to try harder when we fall
short of God’s expectations or our expectations for ourselves.
Do we all have such faith? Probably
not, but each day we can make it a habit
to pray for an increase in faith. Hopefully,
one day God will welcome us as his children into the heavenly kingdom.
God Bless,
Fr. Bob Wolfee
UNICO National Chaplain
Page 5
unico youth
NEW YOUTH
CHAIRPERSON
Hi UNICO !
My
name
is
Marissa Gynn, I am
your
new
Youth
Chairperson. I was
appointed by our new
National
President
André DiMino at the
National Convention
in Lake Las Vegas.
I hope to see more
young members at the
2010 Convention in Hershey Park so all local
chapters start enlisting young people now. I am
very grateful for the opportunity to get more
young Italian Americans informed and involved
in the Service of UNICO National. A special
thanks to Membership Chair Rick D’Arminio for
nominating me to this position.
As way of introduction, I graduated from
East Stroudsburg University and have worked
as a special education teacher in Paramus and
Bloomfield. I went on to earn my Master’s Degree
from Caldwell College last fall and am now a
Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I am currently
working with children and young adults with
autism at Bergen County Special Services School
District. This year I will begin a new academic
challenge by enrolling in Caldwell College’s new
Ph.D program in Applied Behavior Analysis. It is
my goal to educate people about developmental
disabilities and the benefits of science-based
treatment. I am happy to be a part of an
organization that supports mental health issues
and encourages young people to get involved in
serving the community.
My UNICO goal for this year is to get
our current youth members actively involved in
their chapters and to encourage all local chapters
to develop ACES programs whereby all young
people have a voice in the future of UNICO
National. I will be creating a Facebook group
where all teenagers, youth, and regular members
can communicate about upcoming events and
share advice and information about getting young
members involved in this great organization.
At the Point Pleasant Beach Chapter we
have 18 teenagers and 21 youth members who
hold their own meetings and have elected their
own officers to work in conjunction with the
regular chapter membership. Young people want
to be involved and want to discover their Italian
heritage, so please give them the chance by
inviting all young Italian Americans to actively
participate in your events. We are proud to be
Italian Americans and proud to be the future of
UNICO National. I look forward to hearing about
your chapter’s youth membership and working
with all UNICO members to promote our motto
of “Service above Self.” marissagynn@hotmail.
com
Page 6
lake las vegas
convention
wrap up
Well it is all over! It came and went with
a loud bang. We are not going to brag about the
convention but we were very pleased that most
of the attendees have stated that it was surely a
great convention.
There were about 340 attendees who
participated in the social side and about 250 of
those attended the business meetings.
Each conventioneer for a meal and
entertainment package cost of $250 received
the following:
• Free transportation to the hotel and back to
the airport (average cost of cab ride each way
was $55)
•Three continental breakfasts
•Wednesday Night Ice Breaker, dinner and
cocktail hour
•Thursday’s trip to the strip (about 225 people
took advantage of that event) Additionally, we
booked three shows at discounted prices for
about 100 people
•Friday Awards Luncheon – this was
an outstanding program featuring Vince
Ferragamo, famous Super Bowl Los Angles
Rams Quarterback, Joey Hathaway, Amateur
Athlete Awardee from Yale and speaker Rich
Ruffalo, Olympics Gold Medal winner. These
speakers excited the house with their very fine
messages.
• Friday night hospitality for the whole
convention hosted by André and Jenny
DiMino. The entertainment was great featuring
a professional Dean Martin look a like with his
style and songs. Deana Martin (Dean’s daughter)
and her husband John Griffeth also attended the
convention. Deana also entertained Friday and
Saturday nights. The conventioneers enjoyed
a Martini bar, wine and soda and desserts etc.
• The Saturday Night Gala – it was an exquisite
event featuring a cocktail hour and dinner.
Three hundred forty three attended this event
and enjoyed the presentation of awards to
Marine Captain Jarrod DePasquale for the
Basilone Freedom Award, Buddy Fortunato,
Publisher of the Italian Tribune for the Rizzuto
Award, Dr. Joseph Scelsa, Founder of the
Italian American Museum, Cianci Award, Alan
Krutchkoff, founder of Adopt a Soldier Platoon,
Americanism Award and Paul Alongi, Past
National President, The Vastola Award. PNP
Anthony Fornelli did a masterful job as emcee
for the program
• Saturday morning featured the inauguration of
André DiMino as National President and First
Lady Jenny. André set forth his programs for
the upcoming year and asked the membership
to focus on Italian American Heritage among
other facets of UNICO. Kathi Strozza, outgoing
President addressed the body and explained the
successful achievements of her administration,
notably the reorganization of the National office
and all its various computer programs.
• Wine and soda were provided free to the
attendees throughout the whole convention.
(See Convention Wrap Up on Page 12)
ComUNICO
mental health GRANTS
unico year 2008-2009
Vantage Health Systems of Englewood, New Jersey
receives a Grant Award from the UNICO Mental
Health program in the amount of $3,000.
(L-R Standing) UNICO National Executive Vice
President André DiMino, UNICO National President
Kathi Strozza, Director of the LEAP Program Nancy
Deren, CEO, Vantage Health Systems Victoria
Sidrow, UNICO Mental Health Committee Chair
Barbara Lipari Laborim, Director of Development
Deanna M. Dawicki, (L-R Seated) Joan Tidona,
Geri Lipari and Celeste Pandolfi, Mental Health
Committee members.
Johns Hopkins University Alzheimer’s Disease
Research Center in Baltimore, Maryland accepts a
UNICO Grant Award in the amount of $10,000.
(L-R) UNICO Foundation President John DiNapoli,
UNICO National President Kathi Strozza, Juan C.
Troncoso, M.D., Diego Iacono, M.D. Ph.D., UNICO
National Executive Vice President Andre DiMino,
Donald L. Price, M.D., and UNICO National Mental
Health Chair Barbara Lipari Laborim.
Pathways to Independence, Inc. in Kearny, New
Jersey receives a Grant Award in the amount of
$2,500 from the UNICO National Mental health
Program.
(L-R) UNICO Mental Health Committee member
Joan Tidona, Executive Director of Pathways Alvin
Cox, UNICO National President Kathi Strozza,
Development Director of Pathways Si Mano, UNICO
Mental Health Committee member Geri Lipari,
UNICO Mental Health Committee Chair Barbara
Lipari Laborim, UNICO National Executive Vice
President Andre DiMino and UNICO Mental Health
Committee member Celeste Pandolfi.
Charitable donations to UNICO charities are
tax deductible!
Send your contributions to the UNICO Foundation
at: 271 US Highway 46, Suite A-108, Fairfield, NJ
07004.
September 2009
expansion
To
my
fellow
UNICANS,
I
would
like
to
thank you for your
continued support.
I
am
beginning
my third year as
your
Expansion
Director. I could not
continue to do this
job without the help
of my committee. Presently I am fortunate to
have the help of three Past National Presidents
on our committee. They are Alfred Dante Jr.,
Michael D’Arminio and Joseph Agresti. This
year I am proud to add the names of two more
Past National Presidents. They are Kathleen
Strozza, our newest PNP and Frank Cannata.
I would like to thank them for joining our
Expansion committee.
During our Sports Award Luncheon
at this year’s convention, I presented four
Coltivare Awards. This award is given for work
in the area of expansion. The four winners all
exemplified our motto of “Service Above Self”.
The award winners were Joseph Triano, Frank
DeMaio, Damian Andrisano and Jo Ann Gallo.
Jo Ann has also agreed to join our expansion
committee.
Our new President, Andre’ DiMino has
challenged me to start chapters in eight new
states. His reason is that he would like to see
UNICO represented in more than fifty percent
of the United States. Unfortunately, we lost
Hilton Head, South Carolina this year, so that
means that I need to start a new chapter in
South Carolina as well.
This past week Past National President,
Joe Agresti and I went for a road trip for
Expansion in the east. On Tuesday we drove
to Perry Hall, Maryland where we with met
with Don Piccolo, Brian Piccolo’s brother,
and several other Italian Americans. Rick
D’Arminio, our Membership and Retention
Director, made this possible. Don was the
guest speaker this year at NJ District IX’s Brian
Piccolo Awards Dinner. Don and his friends
were all excited about starting a chapter in
their area. On Wednesday, we traveled to
Colombia, South Carolina to meet with Gerry
DiStefano, a former member of Joe Agresti’s
chapter, Passaic Valley. We met with Gerry and
six others. The meeting went well and they all
promised to get their applications to Gerry this
week. On Thursday, we continued our road
trip to Greenville, South Carolina. Joe and I
met with Paul Abeanete. Paul is involved with
Italian Studies students at Clemson University.
Joe Coccia, Past National President, was the
one who originally spoke to Paul about starting
a UNICO chapter in Greenville. We answered
all his questions, after which he told us that
there were more than enough Italians to start a
chapter in Greenville.
This past June 24 I had a first night for
Missoula, Montana. This was thanks to Melanie
Noto Brock, Peter Noto’s daughter. Peter is
September 2009
a Past District Governor of PA II. I met with
Melanie and nine others at John and Jenny
Passuccio home. I would like to thank them
for the outstanding food and opening their
home to help us start a UNICO chapter. I flew
home the next day with nine applications. I
spoke to Melanie this week and she told me to
expect more applications in the near future.
On June 30, we chartered our fifth
chapter for the year. The name of the new
chapter is the North Shore chapter of UNICO
NATIONAL.
They chartered with fifteen
members. I have to thank Lou DiRico, PDG of
NY II, Steven Bonventre, DG of NY II, and Jason
Nappi the charter president of the new North
Shore, NY chapter. This chapter is located
in Long Island. Due to the death of a friend, I
asked Rick D’Arminio to run the charter night
and from all the comments I received from
those that were in attendance I understand Rick
did an outstanding job. I want to welcome the
North Shore chapter into our UNICO family.
At our recent Board of Directors meeting I
requested the approval of the charter for the new
Hillsborough Chapter of UNICO NATIONAL.
It was approved unanimously and the charter
night will be held in the near future.
With five charters in the east, we will have
increased our membership by 193 members
this past year.
Please remember what I say at the end
of all my articles and make sure, if one of your
members moves to another state or area that
does not have a UNICO chapter that you make
them a National Member. Perhaps your chapter
could help sponsor the new chapter in his or
her area.
I am placing the chapter locations that
we are working on at the bottom of this article.
If you have any friends, family, business
associates or especially former Unicans who
have moved to one of these areas, please ask
them to call our National office or me. We will
contact them to see if they have an interest in
becoming a part of one of these new chapters.
Gerry Heytink
UNICO National Expansion Chairman
(201) 666-9226
e-mail: [email protected]
HELP UNICO START A NEW CHAPTER
IN ONE OF THESE CITIES!
EAST
Darien , CT
Wilmington, DE
The Villages, FL
Weymouth, MA
Hillsborough, NJ
Morristown Area
Old Tappan, NJ
West Milford, NJ
Loudonville, NY
Staten Island, NY
Pittsburg, PA
Cranston, RI
Colombia, SC
Greenville, SC
Burington, VT
San Juan, PR
MIDWEST
Chicago, IL
Hudson, OH
Tiffin, OH
Nashville, TN
Austin, TX
Houston, TX
State of Kansas
WEST
Bullhead City, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Tucson AZ
Sacramento, CA
San Pedro, CA
Santa Clarita, CA
Walnut Creek, CA
Albuquerque, NM
Missoula, MT
ComUNICO
book review
Life: Its Problems and
Some of Its Unanswerable
Questions
Reviewed by Dr.. Tony
Arabia
LIFE Magazine, years
ago, was one of those large,
weekly pictorial publications that opened minds
with dramatic images. We grew up with it. And
in the photographs of wartimes, assassinations,
moon landings, medical advancements and
celebrity features, we learned how America
and the world was changing.
A book review of "Life: Its Problems"
cannot do justice to the many issues and themes
that Dr. LaBianca presents to us. Its range and
depth are quite extensive. It has been said that
the book may be small, but it covers many large
matters.
He carefully explores questions such as,
"Who are we? Why are we here?" Essentially
text with some pictures, the book gives us
a compact view of contemporary life and serves
it to us with the author's worldwide point
of view. The content is an historical, philosophical, educational journey that at times is
moderate, conservative and liberal. On topics
such as war and peace, pro-life and pro-choice,
God and religion, our government and its
leadership, education, technology, medicine,
and our place in world history, the author
states his views.
Realizing that many extremely difficult
issues exist, the author very ably confronts
them, giving his best assessment of possible
solutions. To some people, his ideas may be
too simple and to others, his views may be too
complex, but he writes with conviction, hope,
and great devotion to humanity and America
and its promise to achieve real progress and happiness.
Look for it and read it. "Life" will
surely broaden your perspectives!
Published by XLibris,
105 pages, $22.99
Page 7
San Diego
chicago
James Pieri Jr. (L) takes the oath of office for
president of the San Diego Chapter, The ceremony
was conducted by PNP Frank Caperino.
DOUBLE CELEBRATION
FOR CHICAGO UNICO !
The Illinois Supreme Court
admission ceremony in Chicago on May
7th 2009 turned out to be a cause for
double celebration for UNICO members
from Chicago. The bar admittees included
Catherine Locallo, the daughter of Illinois
District Governor Richard Caifano and
Joseph Locallo, III, the son of Chicago
West Suburban chapter member, Joseph
Locallo, Jr.
Two days later, the new lawyers
were married at the Shrine of Our Lady of
Pompeii in the Little Italy neighborhood
of Chicago. The bride and groom are
members of the Chicago-Amerital Chapter
of UNICO and were present as delegates
at the national convention held at Lake
Las Vegas. The young Locallo has joined
his father in the practice of law at the
firm of Amari & Locallo. Catherine is an
associate at the Chicago firm of Robbins,
Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor.
The new San Diego Chapter Board of Directors was
sworn in at the Brian Piccolo Scholarship Dinner.
(L-R Back Row) Frank Turlo, Roger Maury, Steve
Codrero, James Pieri Jr., Barry Masci, Michael
Monaco and Anthony Napoli. (L-R Seated) Janelle
Riella and Marianne Nolan.
WEST
SPRINGFIELD MA
36TH ANNUAL AWARDS
UNICO
of
West
Springfield,
Massachusetts had their West Springfield
High School Scholarship Awards Dinner on
Thursday, June 25 at Dante Club. Members of
West SpringfIeld UNICO cooked and served
the dinner. Eight scholarships were awarded.
Pictured above are scholarship winners on top
row from left are Chelsea O’Brien, Katherine
Marino, Bailey McDonnell, Ann Bergeron, Carlee
Santaniello, Monica Acevedo and Paul Lefebvre.
Missing from picture is Katelyn Sullivan.
Pictured on bottom row are UNICO members from
left are Mike Vezzola, Neil Ferrero, Joe Breda,
Lida Powell, Ron Lodi, Christina Francoeur, Jane
Martone, Club President Mauro DiClementi, Skip
Rousseau, Anne Marie Belden, Club Treasurer Jean
Robinson, Stew Robinson, Club Secretary Betty
McCabe-Pandolfi and Carm Santaniello.
NJ District I
VERONA, NJ
NEW OFFICERS
At the June Business Meeting 2009-2010
officers were installed.
(L-R) Joseph Locallo, Jr., Catherine Locallo, Joseph
Locallo III, Len Amari (Compari to the family/past
president of the Illinois State Bar Association) and
Richard Caifano.
E-mail Addresses
(L-R) Treasurer Tom Cocchiola, Chaplin Nancy
Magrans, Executive Vice President Linda Gail Alati,
President Lydia Bashwiner, Past President Lisa
Adubato, 1st Vice President Bruce Snogans and
Secretary Bonnie Sharkey.
Page 8
We had a fabulous response to our
initial requests for e-mail addresses!
Although some are still trickling in, we
still only have the e-mail addresses for
one-third of our members. E-mail is
now many people's first choice when
communicating with others please
contact us to include you in our database. Our database will never be sold
or disseminated in any way at all, it is
intended only as a way to communicate faster with our members.
e-mail:
[email protected]
ComUNICO
Marissa Gynn, our new UNICO National Youth
Chairperson, enjoys the national convention in Las
Vegas with her parents Bob Gynn and Grace Gynn.
Grace is the new District Governor for NJ I.
September 2009
ST. LOUIS METRO
MEMPHIS, TN
unico foundation
CHALLENGER BASEBALL
2009 SCHOLARSHIP
MEMORIAL CARDS
SUPPORT UNICO
FOUNDATION
The St. Louis
Metro Chapter of
UNICO National adopted Challenger Baseball
as their organization’s charity for the third
consecutive year. This year, The Metro
Chapter donated $1,750 towards the cause.
Challenger Baseball affords youngsters and
adults with developmental disabilities the
ability to participate in the all American sport
of baseball! The charity is in its 16th season,
giving everyone who participates a chance to
play by two basic rules: Every player bats each
inning, and every player plays the field. Strikes
don’t count and outs don’t cout. Everybody
scores and everyody wins.
In addition to cheering the players,
members of the St. Louis Metro Chapter of
UNICO National served food and beverages to
all of the players and their families. St. Louis
Mayor Francis Slay was on hand to give out
medals to every player and Missouri Governor
Jay Nixon threw out the first pitch.
The day proved to be another memorable
occasion and the St. Louis Metro Chapter of
UNICO National is proud to be a part of such a
wonderful children’s charity.
UNICO enjoyed serving all of the hungry Challenger
Baseball All Star Players!
Alicia McKenzie (UNICO Memphis Scholarship
Chair Person) and Augustine (Augie) Donati (2009
Scholarship Winner).
UNICO Memphis proudly announces the 2009
Scholarship winner as Augustine (Augie) Donati!! Augie, the son of Anthony and Paula
Donati, is a recent graduate of CBHS here in
Memphis. He lives in Bartlett, TN with his
parents and his two brothers, Angelo and Anthony. Augie, who plans to have a career in
medicine, will begin at Tulane this fall. He is
a very active volunteer in many community organizations and plans to continue volunteering
in some capacity when he is at Tulane. Augie
told us at the June UNICO meeting when he received his $2,500 scholarship money, that this
money will greatly help his family. I believe
that his family would make sacrifices to enable
him to go to Tulane. After all, it is an honor
to be among those selected to attend this prestigious university!! Memphis UNICO salutes
our winner, Augustine Donati!!
CARBONDALE
(L-R) Marisa Gandolfo, Tony Gandolfo, Lisa
Gandolfo, Anthony Gandolfo, Vince Passanisi, Sally
Passanisi, Sandy Passanisi, Umberto Passanisi, Hon.
Francis Slay, Major of St. Louis, Emma Gandolfo,
Joe Gandolfo and Tony Lombardo.
(L-R) PNP Angelo Sita, Buck Smith from Challenger
Baseball, Joe Gandolfo, President St. Louis Metro
Chapter.
September 2009
All chapters received samples of the
newly designed UNICO Foundation Memorial
cards; if you haven’t had an opportunity to see
them yet and would like to make use of them,
simply contact me at the National Office and
I’ll send a supply to you.
Secondly, an Honor card is also
available. These gift cards are ideal for those
individuals who are difficult to buy for and can
be used for any happy event.
Donations using either card benefit the
UNICO Foundation charity of your choice.
Again, if you’d like to receive either, or
both, of these cards, simply call me at 973-8080035 or e-mail me at [email protected].
Wishing all of our chapters a successful
year.
Barbara Peirano
Development Executive
SCRANTON
HELEN KELLER DAY
At the 80th Annual Helen Keller Day/
Fashion Show for the Lackawanna Branch,
PA Association for the Blind, members of the
Ladies Auxiliary of the Scranton Chapter of
UNICO National and their guests were on hand
to support and or model in this major fundraiser.
Among those present are these pictured with
the following captions.
CONVENTION
Kneeling - Terri Pettinato, PA II District Governor
Chip Calabro. Standing - (l to r) Tom Gatto, Yvonne
Gatto, Foundation Secretary Dr. Peter Pettinato,
Maggie Pettinato, 1st National Vice President Glenn
Pettinato and Pat Calabro.
ComUNICO
Members and their friends who attended the
80th Annual Helen Keller Day Fashion Show are
pictured, standing from left to right are Marci
McDade Barnansky, Karen Bocchino Tigue,
Michele McDade, Janet Bocchino Tigue and Marie
Schumacher. Seated from left to right are: Kristen
Krowiak, Paula Keenan, Cathy Caterino Gerard and
Margaret Caterino.
Page 9
solano ca
SCHOLARSHIP
LUNCHEON
The Solano Chapter held its scholarship
awards luncheon on June 27th. Eight very
deserving students each received a $1,000
scholarship. Through yearly fund raisers
the chapter was again able to award eight
scholarships for the second year in a row.
From left to right: Caitlin Calvert, Talia Valeriote,
Jennifer Fabian, Oliva Castro, Emily Iannarelli,
and Jessica Glaspey.
point pleasant
beach
Members of Point Pleasant Beach UNICO at Lake
Las Vegas congratulate new DG Grace Gynn and
Chapter President Tony Scardaville
The name UNICO was selected as best
representing the nature and the character
of a new Italian American service club.
The name is the Italian word for unique,
one of a kind. The founders believed that
UNICO would be the only one of its kind
because it placed service to the community
before and above fraternity. At the same
time they hoped that the rest of society
would come to know and understand the
real contributions of Italian Americans
to our way of life. Its sole purpose was to
unite all Italian Americans and motivate
them to become more civic minded. In
order to accomplish this, members would
have to understand that they would have to
make sacrifices, not for personal gain, but
for service to others. In the ensuing years
UNICO became an acronym that stood for
Unity, Neighborliness, Integrity, Charity,
and Opportunity.
Page 10
ORANGE/WEST ORANGE nj
AWARDS DINNER
The Orange/West Orange Chapter of
UNICO National held its 2009 Scholarship and
Awards Dinner on June 17, 2009 at Mayfair
Farms, in West Orange, NJ. Seven local area
high school students were awarded individual
local memorial scholarships. Two UNICO
National Scholarships were also awarded as
well as Italian Language Awards.
The local memorial scholarships were in
the amount of $1,500 and were awarded to the
students based on their academic achievement,
high
school
extra-curricular
activities,
community service, and work experiences.
The students were selected by a committee
of members and O/WO UNICO Scholarship
Chairman Frank V. Gonnella presided over
the evening’s events. The following students
received the scholarships: Meredith Gray
Wright, West Orange HS - Anthony F. & Flora
Gonnella Memorial Scholarship; Gabrielle
Josephine Bravoco, West Orange HS - Camille
S. Vecchio Memorial Scholarship; Joseph
Cosentino, West Orange HS - Lawrence
& Wanda Vecchio Memorial Scholarship;
James Vincent Ligot, West Orange HS - Frank
Franklin Memorial Scholarship; Reginald
Philip Viezel, West Orange HS - Alfred Leto
Memorial Scholarship; Brian Meise - O/WO
UNICO Scholarship in the memory of late
Martin G. Picillo, past O/WO Chapter & UNICO
National President and Anthony Casalino - O/
WO UNICO Scholarship.
The following students received Italian
Language Awards, as selected by their teachers
for outstanding academic achievement in the
Italian Language: Christopher Osnato, Seton
Hall Prep and James Vincent Ligot, West Orange
HS.
UNICO National annually awards four
National Undergraduate scholarships in the
amount of $6,000. Two students nominated by
the O/WO Chapter received two out of three
scholarships. Meredith Gray Wright of West
Orange High School received the William
C. Davini Memorial Scholarship and Nicole
Schollmeyer of Randolph High School received
the Alphonse A. Miele Memorial Scholarship.
UNICO National Scholarship Chairperson,
Joan Tidona was present to announce the
recipients.
Frank Gonnella also announced
the completion of the UNICO Garden for
Exceptional Child which is located at the
Katz Center, at Degnan Field. The garden
fully funded through a donation of $25,000,
will allow special needs children to learn the
fundamentals of gardening. Additionally, a
donation of $1,000 was presented to member
Dino Cerelli, for the Hemophilia Foundation of
NJ.
The Chapter donated an additional
$35,000 to local and national charities and
organizations. On a local level they included
Seton Hall University Valenti Library, ARC
ComUNICO
of Essex County, West Orange HS Booster
Club, West Orange HS Project Graduation,
First Occupational Center of NJ, West Orange
Community House, West Orange First Aid
Squad, Mayor’s Program for Individual with
Disabilities, and the West Orange Athletic
League. On a national level the Chapter donated
to the following: UNICO Foundation, UNICO
National Mental Health, Cooley’s Anemia,
UNICO National Anti-Bias Committee, UNICO
National Scholarship Fund, and the Jimmy V.
Foundation for Cancer Research.
The Chapter serves the community by
providing scholarships and supporting charities
on a local and national basis. The organization
also actively promotes the recognition of Italian
heritage and culture and the contributions
Italian Americans have made to our country.
Frank V. Gonnella - O/WO UNICO Scholarship
Chairman, Nicole Schollmeyer, Randolph HS UNICO National Alphonse A. Miele Memorial
Scholarship, Meredith Gray Wright, WOHS UNICO National William C. Davini Memorial
Scholarship, Joan Tidona, UNICO National
Scholarship Chairperson.
Frank V. Gonnella - O/WO UNICO Scholarship
Chairman, Meredith Gray Wright, WOHS
- Anthony F. & Flora Gonnella Memorial
Scholarship, Gabrielle Josephine Bravoco, WOHS
- Camille Vecchio Memorial Scholarship, Brian
Meise, WOHS - O/WO UNICO Scholarship in
the Memory of Martin G. Picillo, Reginald Philip
Viezel, WOHS - Alfred Leto Memorial Scholarship,
Anthony Casalino, WOHS - O/WO UNICO
Scholarship, James Vincent Ligot, WOHS - Frank
Franklin Memorial Scholarship & Italian Language
Award, Christopher Osnato, SHP - Italian
Language Award, Joseph Cosentino, WOHS - Larry
& Wanda Vecchio Memorial Scholarship.
Information about the
ACES Youth Program
(973) 808-0035
(973) 808-0043 FAX
[email protected]
September 2009
NUTLEY NJ
GALA EVENT AT
MAYFAIR FARMS
The Nutley, NJ Chapter of UNICO
National has completed an exciting 2008-09
year by awarding $27,000 in scholarships, and
celebrating its 50th anniversary. One of the local
recipients, Anthony Rauco, was selected by the
UNICO National Scholarship Committee to
receive the Theodore Mazza Scholarship in the
amount of $6,000. The chapter also recognized
two members for Outstanding Achievement
Peter Scarpelli and UNICAN of the Year Sal
Ferraro. Outgoing president, Tom Sposato,
swore in the new president, Marie Lucarella
Solimo at the June 4 chapter meeting. Marie
is the first female president in the chapter’s
history. The new slate of officers is:
President
1st V.P.
2nd V.P.
3rd V.P.
Sec.
Treas.
Sgt. At Arms
Member at Large
Member at Large
Marie Lucarella Solimo
Anthony Malifitano
Phyllis Coldebella
Salvatore Ferraro
Bob Montanino
Carmella “Mel” Priolo
Anthony “Jr” Mascola
Michael Cocco
Micahel Italiano
The Nutley UNICO annual golf outing is
scheduled for Wednesday, August 12th at the
Sky View Golf Club at 226 Lafayete Road in
Sparta NJ. The $115 cost includes a BBQ lunch
and full buffet dinner. Please join us!
The chapter has a variety of new activities
planned for the 2009-10 year and welcomes
anyone interested in becoming a member to
contact any of our members for information
or to write us at: Nutley UNICO, P.O. Box 43,
Nutley, NJ 07110. The first dinner meeting of
the coming year will be Thursday, Sept. 10th.
Nutley, NJ UNICO District VII Brian Piccolo Award
winner, Anthony D’Amico is congratulated by his
family and coaches.
MEMPHIS, TN
PALM BEACH FL
2009-2010
CHAPTER OFFICERS
BOCCE IN
BANYAN LAKES
(L-R): Ron Giometti, President; Rose Marie Cross,
Board of Directors (BOD); Danny Presley, Legal
Counsel; Michael Spano, Treasurer, PNP; Paul
Vescovo, BOD; Ray Ricossa, BOD; Regina Giometti,
BOD; George Bond, BOD; Linda Bond, Secretary;
Gerri Camurati, BOD; Kerry Krag, Sergeant at Arms;
Sharon Signaigo Thompson, Vice President; Gloria
Marascuilo, BOD; Mike Camurati, District Governor
(not pictured).
(L-R): Ron Giometti, President; Joe Ferloni, Mike
Vanelli, Ron and Kathy Poletti, Margaret Cascio,
Chris Ann Schiro-Geist and Jack Conway.
MIAMI FL
In a night reminiscent of evenings long
ago in faraway Italy, the Palm Beach chapter
of the Italian-American service organizaiton
UNICO enjoyed the traditional game of bocce
and a bountful table at the home of Michael
and Marie Bianchini in Banyan Lakes on May
17.
Adding to the great evening of fun and
friendship, participants were feted with a
performance by Gianni Bianchini on piano and
Amanda Petrozelli on violin.
Besides its social activities, UNICO
exists to promote Italian culture, provide
scholarships for deserving young people and
assist those who are less fortunate.
The Palm Beach chapter’s upcoming
events include the screening of an Italian film
during a potluck night and a wine and cheese
tasting at a local wine shop.
The chapter is planning a weekend
“Taste of Italy” with food, drink and music in
the western communities in the early spring of
2010.
UNICO invites all those of Italian
heritage to consider joining the chapter.
For more information, call Chapter
President Giulio Panzano at (561) 670-5080.
UNICO members on the bocce court: (L-R) Rosa
and John Jado, Darlene and Gabriele Finochietti,
Norma and Giulio Panzano, Maria and Dr. J.
Castro, and Maria, Gabriella, Alessandra, Gianni
and Michael Bianchini.
COMMUNITY
SERVICE DAY
National President Kathy Strozza is joined at
the Nutley, NJ UNICO Chapter by Tom Sposato,
outgoing president, and Marie Lucarella Solimo,
the incoming president, and first female president
in the chapters’ history.
September 2009
ComUNICO
Page 11
FESTA DELLA
REPUBLICA
ITALIAN NATIONAL
HOLIDAY WITH
NEWARK’S CONSUL
OF ITALY
NORTH HALEDON
SCRANTON
GOURMET DINNER
SAINT JOSEPH’S
FESTIVAL
On Tuesday, April 28th, the North
Haledon Chapter hosted a gourmet dinner for
their wives. This dinner was prepared and
served by our members and was such a huge
success that they are planning next year’s
feast!
The Scranton Chapter of UNICO
National and its Ladies Auxiliary volunteered
at Saint Joseph’s Annual Festival again this
year. Members of both the Chapter and the
Ladies Auxiliary serviced both the Bakery Tent
and the Pizza Fritta Stand.
(L-R) Manny Alfano, Barbara Pelrano, Joe Coccia,
Elda Coccia, Console of NJ Newark Andrea
Barbaria, Antonio Gaglioto, Sal Benvenuti and Pat
Pelonero.
Members and friends of the Scranton Chapter of
UNICO National and its Ladies Auxiliary, who
worked the Sunday Pizza Fritta Stand at Saint
Joseph’s Festival. Pictured from left to right are:
Isabella Amity, Brittany DeLeo, Co-chair Jack DeLeo,
Maria Guido, Palma and Pat Yanni, Sue Marullo,
Chapter President Sam Prudente, Linda Malinoski,
Carmen Brutico, Maggie Prudente, Carl Noakes and
Joe Guido.
Console Andrea Barbaria of Newark, NJ.
CONVENTION WRAP UP
(Continued from Page 6)
Manny Alfano with two Miss Italias !!
HOW MANY
ITALIAN AMERICANS?
In the 2000 U.S. Census, Italian Americans
constituted the fifth largest ancestry
group in America with about 15.6 million
people (5.6% of the total U.S. population).
Sicilian Americans are a subset of
numerous Americans of regional Italian
ancestries. As of 2006, the Italian-American
population climbed to 17.8 million persons
constituting 6 percent of the population. It
is also important to note that eighty-percent
of Italian Americans have Southern Italian
ancestry, while the remaining twentypercent come from the north.
Page 12
What we have defined above did cost the
Convention Committee about $600 for each
person. Our committee was strong and energetic.
They worked very hard at the convention
and doubly dedicated to raising $90,000 to
subsidize each conventioneer. We were able
to raise these monies through 12 Atlantic City
bus trips, Karaoke nights, Bowl A Thons, Festa
Frozen Ice sales, Dinner entertainment nights,
sponsors and an unprecedented Ad Journal.
Also many thanks to Vice Chairs John Morano
and Tony Ricciardi for all the time and help
expended to make our convention a success.
A very special thank you to First Lady Jenny
DiMino and the ladies who provided all the
beautiful and creative decorations for all the
social events. The decorations were “out of
this world.”
Finally, Dino Mantini and his staff
were superb on the Ritz Carlton’s behalf. Dino
made sure the food was great and authentic
Italian. His detailed day to day operation and
coordination with our committee was truly
outstanding and appreciated.
SCRANTON IN
LAS VEGAS
BY NOW YOU GET THE DRIFT – THE WHOLE
EXPERIENCE WAS THE BEST!!
Convention Chairman,
PNP Paul Alongi
ComUNICO
September 2009
ELIZABETH NJ
GREATER RAMSEY NJ
GREAT YEAR FOR
ELIZABETH !
CHAPTER NEWS
The members of the Elizabeth Chapter of
UNICO are very proud of their activities. This
year, the chapter has been blessed with seven
new members!
At the last business meeting of the year, the
club hosted thier Anthony J. DiGiovanni Scholarship recipients along with their parents. The
chapter introduced their upcoming Citizen of
the Year who will be honored at a formal dinner in October. Members of the chapter also
presented gifts to charitable organizations. At
the business meeting, new officers were installed. Guests included spouses, friends and
potential members.
This year, on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009,
Elizabeth Chapter members were honored to
have our very own UNICO National Executive
Vice-President André DiMino in attendance!
Members could not have been more proud to
see a national officer attending their meeting
and truly enjoyed his company. André spoke
to each member and addressed the crowd. He
even honored the Elizabeth Chapter by swearing in their new Chapter President. Attached
are some pictures capturing these great moments.
Mr. Ken Santo, Greater Ramsey Chapter of UNICO
Past President (2008-2009) received an “Achievement and Thank You” award from the Greater Ramsey Chapter of UNICO President, Mr. Ron Muzzillo.
Mr. Steve Wekar, Treasurer of the Greater Ramsey
Chapter of UNICO, received the award as “UNICAN
OF THE YEAR.” The presentation was made by the
UNICO National President, Mr. André DiMino and
the Greater Ramsey Chapter of UNICO President,
Mr. Ron Muzzillo.
Ms. Elizabeth Musso was inducted into the Ramsey
Chapter by the UNICO National President, Mr. André DiMino and the Greater Ramsey Chapter President Mr. Ron Muzzillo.
Mr. Ken Thimmel of Ramsey, NJ, donated special
baseball items which will be auctioned at the Greater Ramsey Chapter of UNICO golf outing on Aug
31st, at White Beeches Country Club, Haworth, NJ.
UNICO NATIONAL BUSINESS AT THE 2009 CONVENTION
“ELIZ UNICO NEW GUYS JUNE 2009” Joe Marretta
(far right), the new chapter president, addresses
and encourages the chapter’s seven new members!
Three of these brand new UNICANs are already
participating and playing fundamental roles in the
upcoming Citizen of the Year dinner.
STEREOTYPES OF
ITALIAN AMERICANS
In the 1890-1920 period Italian Americans
were often stereotyped as being “violent”
and “controlled by the Mafia”. In the
1920s, many Americans used the Sacco
and Vanzetti trial, in which two Italian
anarchists were sentenced to death, to
denounce Italian immigrants as anarchists
and criminals. During the 19th and early
20th century, Italian Americans were one
of the most likely groups to be lynched.
In 1891, eleven Italian immigrants in New
Orleans were lynched due to their ethnicity
and suspicion of being involved in the
Mafia. This was the largest mass lynching
in US history.
September 2009
Although it may look like it from all of the great photos in this edition of ComUNICO,
the convention was not just for fun! The officers, delegates and attendees also conducted
important UNICO National business.
With respect to national elections, the only contested race was for Third National Vice
President which was won by Michael Veselka of Chicago.
Voting on the three proposed amendments to the UNICO National Constitution
resulted in none achieving the required 2/3 majority to be passed. Therefore no changes
were made.
The convention delegates also voted on the site for the 2012 national convention. The
winning hotel is in Marco Island Florida.
Again, this year, the generosity of UNICO members, chapters and districts was
demonstrated by the many tens of thousands of dollars in donations received or pledged
for the various UNICO National initiatives and charities including Scholarships, Cooley’s
Anemia, Mental Health, Italian Studies Chairs, Cancer Research (Jimmy V.), Anti Bias, and
others.
An exciting new project was presented and resulted in numerous sponsorships being
pledged for a new Italian and Italian American Heritage and Culture Calendar. The calendar
will be published for 2010. Nearly all of the required sponsorship positions were received
at the Convention so the Calendar is nearly certain to be successfully published.
In addition to the business of the convention there were numerous guest speakers and
presentations on numerous subjects and causes. The 2009 UNICO National Convention was
an overwhelming success from the business aspects as well as the great time had by all!
The great German statesman Otto Von Bismarck said: “Laws are like sausages, it is
better not to see them being made.” Well, at least at UNICO Conventions we can make the
legislative equivalent of delicious Italian sausage!
ComUNICO
Page 13
OBITUARIES
JOE DIGANGI:
Coronado UNICAN
told tales of years
as a catcher in the
yankee bullpen
By Blanca Gonzalez
STAFF WRITER- San Diego Union Tribune
He wasn’t a star, and he never played
in a major-league game, but Joe DiGangi had a
place in baseball history as one of the last links
to the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Mr. DiGangi often told of his claim to a
small bit of fame as a bullpen catcher for the
New York Yankees from 1933 to 1941. He spent
many summer days with players such as Ruth,
Gehrig, Bill Dickey and Phil Rizzuto.
Mr. DiGangi, a Coronado resident
since 1988, enjoyed sharing his memories
of baseball’s golden era, including the time
Gehrig hit a foul ball and dislocated two of Mr.
DiGangi’s fingers.
Mr. DiGangi died of natural causes July
14 in Coronado. He was 94.
He took pride in showing off his gnarled
fingers and telling about the 1934 battingpractice session when Gehrig’s foul ball hurt
his hand.
“Lou Gehrig always had a hitch (in his
swing), and he tipped one,” Mr. DiGangi said
in a 2007 interview with The San Diego UnionTribune. “If you look at the damn glove ... it
was rawhide in those days. You couldn’t catch
with one hand because the ball would pop
out.”
Friend Joe Ditler said Mr. DiGangi was
friendly and gregarious, and loved telling
stories. “He used to say, ‘I’m going to die
talking,’ ” Ditler said.
“He used to walk along the Coronado
Shores, and a crowd would form (around
him) everywhere he went,” said Ditler, editor
of Coronado magazine. “He carried around
Xeroxed photos of him and Joe DiMaggio and
handed them out.”
Mr. DiGangi reveled in the media
attention he received in his later years,
including a 2007 story on him in The New York
Times.
Channel 4 sportscaster John Weisbarth
won an Emmy in 2006 for a feature story he did
on Mr. DiGangi and gave him the award.
“He didn’t want to take it at first, but he
was very excited about it,” Weisbarth said. “He
would show the Emmy to anyone who came by
(his Coronado condo), whether they wanted to
see it or not.
“I never met a friendlier guy. You would
see him walking on the boardwalk, and he
would kiss every lady, have a warm word and
hello for everyone he saw. He was the sweetest
guy.”
Page 14
Local baseball historian Bill Swank
said that even though he couldn’t find official
references to Mr. DiGangi in his research, he
had met him in recent years and knew him to
be a good storyteller.
“Joe was a fascinating man,” Swank
said. “There’s a saying among old ballplayers:
‘The older they get, the better they were.’ Joe
was real old ... ”
Mr. DiGangi’s son, Joe Jr., said he heard
all the stories when he was growing up. “One
time we were at a spring-training game in
Florida, and Phil Rizzuto walked by and said,
‘Hey, Joe, how you doing?’ I was staggered that
he really, really did know him. He wasn’t just a
guy in a picture.”
Joseph J. DiGangi was born in 1915 in
Brooklyn, N.Y. According to the stories on
him in The New York Times and the UnionTribune, he never played in the major leagues,
and he passed up a chance to work his way
up through the minors because he could make
more money as a bricklayer.
In interviews, Mr. DiGangi said he was
given the chance to wear the Yankee pinstripes
as the bullpen catcher during home games
at Yankee Stadium and in spring training.
Although it didn’t pay much, it was “a dream
job for any baseball fan, so I would have taken
it for a couple of hot dogs,” he said in the Times
interview.
His souvenirs included a 1933 Yankee
team photo and a picture of him and DiMaggio
dressed for a service game during World War II.
Mr. DiGangi was a Navy Seabee, and DiMaggio
was with the Army Air Forces team.
After the war, Mr. DiGangi; his wife,
Constance; and their two children settled
in Connecticut, where he worked as a home
builder. He later built condominiums in the
Virgin Islands. He and his wife retired to
Coronado CA in 1988.
unico Art
are you artistic?
There are many talented artists in
UNICO. Of course, throughout the ages Italians have been some of the most creative and
talented people in the world!
Well, if you paint, sculpt, photograph,
craft or have any other form of artistic expression you would like to share with your fellow
UNICANS - and the world, have we got something for you.
From October 1 to October 3, 2009 we
are holding our first-ever L’Arte D’UNICO Exhibition and Open House at our National
Office in Fairfield, NJ.
We want to show-off the talents of our
members, and at the same time show-off our redesigned National Office. So, if you have some
creative work that you would like to exhibit,
this is the perfect opportunity!
We certainly do not want this to be limited to our local membership. So, please contact us from anywhere in the country and we
will help to work out the logistics of getting
your works on display at L’Arte D’UNICO. Please put these dates on your calendar
and come and visit this celebration of the creativity of our members!
Contact President André at [email protected]
to participate or for more information.
Joe DiGangi (L) with Joe DiMaggion in 1941. Joe was
a beloved member of the UNICO Chapter and loved
to attend the monthly luncheons.
ComUNICO
September 2009
ORANGE/WEST ORANGE
BRICK NJ
GALA EVENT AT MAYFAIR FARMS
The Brick Chapter will be holding our 1st
Annual Columbus Day Golf Tournament on
Thursday October 1st 2009. We are doing this
in conjunction with our annual Columbus Day
Festivities and to commemorate the Official
start of October being named “Italian American
Heritage Month” in New Jersey.
Left to right: Barbara & Frank Paolercio, Jill &
John Nunziato, John the newly installed Chapter
president, guest Mya Kaplan.
NJ Distric XI Governor intalling incoming Chapter
officers - Sal Anderton, Kristina Massara, Anna
Marie Russo, Carmine Campanile, Tony Vecchio
(for Nick), Frand DeMaio, John DiNapoli, Carol
Cannata, Frank Paolercio.
Now we understand much more clearly.
why people from all over the world want to
come to America. It's called freedom.
-Rudy Giuliani
The Orange/West Orange Chapter of
UNICO National held a gala event on Saturday,
June 6, 2009 at the Mayfair Farms in West
Orange New Jersey. The event featured the
installation of its new officers for the 2009-2010
term, the presentation of three Senior Argento
Awards and honoring its UNICAN of the year.
Dr. John Nunziato was installed as president of
the chapter for the upcoming year. Dr. Nunziato
is a graduate of Brookdale Community College
and Newark College of Engineering and holds
a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh
University. Dr. Nunziato’s oath of office was
administered by UNICO National Executive
Vice President André Demino.
Mr. DiMino was given the honor of
presenting the Senior Argento awards to Past
National President Frank Cannata, UNICO
Foundation President John DiNapoli, and Past
Chapter President Vincent Carano. The longtime members of the Orange-West Orange
Chapter expressed their gratitude for the honor,
but were more grateful for having had the
honor to serve the Chapter and the community
for more than 25 years.
District Governor Dr. Frank Greco also
attended the event and installed the incoming
elected board members. The Chapter had the
honor of having three Past National Presidents
at the gala including Frank Cannata, Paul
Alongi and John Alati along with various
members of the West Essex, Montville and
Verona Chapters.
The UNICAN of the year was Carmine
D. Campanile, Esq., a long time member of the
Chapter who presently serves as counsel to
the UNICO Foundation in addition to being a
member of the Chapter’s executive board. Frank
Paolercio, a well known and long time member
of the Chapter was master of Ceremonies and
introduced Carmine as UNICAN of the year.
Carmine’s remarks to the attendees were well
received and appropriate for the occasion.
The presentations for the evening
concluded with a farewell speech from Mary
Scholl, the Chapter’s outgoing president and
some appropriate remarks from Executive Vice
President DiMino. The event’s entertainment
was provided by the dynamic duo Luigi and
Arlette. The exit comments have been very
positive featuring many accolades from the
attendees.
Senior Argentos - John D. Napoli, Frank Cannata,
Vincent Carano.
Can't you read? The score demands "con
amore," and what are you doing? You are
playing it like married men!
-Arturo Toscanini
I AM AN ITALIAN AMERICAN
The Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European explorer to pass New York Harbor.
The first Italian to live in what is now the United States was Pietro Cesare Alberti, a Venetian
sailor, who settled in New York on June 2, 1635. Other Italians played an important role
in early United States history. Filippo Mazzei was an important Italian physician and a
promoter of liberty, close friend of Thomas Jefferson. He acted as an agent to purchase arms
for Virginia during the American Revolutionary War. Throughout the 1800s, Italians arrived
in the US in small numbers. Most immigration from Italy occurred in the late 19th and 20th
centuries between 1880 and 1960. Most Italian Americans came from Southern Italy: Naples
at first and Sicily. Most were rural peasants with little education. Smaller but significant
numbers came from the northern regions of Liguria and Veneto.
September 2009
ComUNICO
The deadline for
contributions to the November
issue of ComUNICO is
October 7th
Send chapter news
to Matteo Risi at:
e-mail: [email protected]
or by mail to:
Matt Risi- UNICO
c/o Minuteman Press
7525 Metropolitan Drive
Suite 303
San Diego, CA 92108
Cell: (619) 993-3913
Fax: (858) 278-9408
Page 15
ITALIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE
MONTH in NEW JERSEY
Finally!!!
New
Jersey
has an
Italian
American
Heritage
Month
By Manny Alfano
We have accomplished the first step!
The recent passage of legislation in my
home state of New Jersey designating October
as Italian American Heritage month marked a
brief moment of celebration - but also served as a
reminder of how far we have yet to go in promoting
our Italian American heritage, and fighting back
against negative stereotypes that are pervasive in
the mass media.
As someone who has worked for the past
two decades in anti-defamation efforts as well as
several decades in educational initiatives, I can
tell you that while the battle against negative
stereotypes is never-ending, the effort to promote
positive aspects of our heritage is only in its
infancy.
As of the writing of this column, I am
currently aware there are still only a handful of
states (Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and
Pennsylvania come to mind) at best who have
passed similar measures celebrating ItalianAmerican heritage. And, the effort it took to pass
this measure in New Jersey— (which has one of the
highest ethnic concentrations of Italian Americans
in the nation) —was certainly no “cakewalk.” It
involved the building of many partnerships with
various organizations, the lobbying of many
legislators, and a major push just to get the
legislation up for a vote before the final session of
this year.
Here in New Jersey, the measure was
shepherded through the efforts of UNICO National,
its Anti Bias Committee (of which I am the
chairman), the Italian and Italian American One
Voice Coalition, the Order of the Sons of Italy in
NJ, The NJ Italian and Italian American Heritage
Commission, The Federation of Italian American
Societies of NJ, The Coccia Foundation, The Center
for Italian and Italian American Culture, Amici
Della Lingua Italiana and many other activists.
We also built partnerships among our
legislators. We are extremely thankful to the
measure’s (Bill SJR-73/AJR-97) sponsors, including:
NJ Senators Anthony Bucco, Joseph Vitale, Kevin
O’Toole and NJ Assemblymen Frederick Scalera,
Gary Chiusano and Scott Rumana. Special thanks
goes to NJ Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, who
worked directly with UNICO National, on a daily
basis, in moving the resolution ahead.
The idea of promoting October as Italian
American heritage month on a national level began
in 2008 at the UNICO National annual convention.
The delegates supported a resolution officially
designating October as national Italian American
heritage month. They also voted to support the Anti
Page 16
Bias Committee’s proposal to produce an Italian
and Italian American heritage calendar. UNICO
National’s President Joseph Agresti, President
Kathleen Strozza and Executive VP Andre DiMino
supported these two projects. Mr. DiMino will be
sworn in as President this July 2009 and one of his
goals is to bring these two projects to fruition.
The intent was to recognize the enormous
contributions made by Italians and Italian
Americans to the Americas and the world, as well
as to:
• Show appreciation for our culture and how it has
enriched the lives of the people of this country;
• Make people aware of the many struggles Italian
Americans have faced; and,
• To celebrate together as one and work to promote,
protect and preserve our Italian American Heritage
and Culture.
UNICO National had planned on this
resolution being the first step in righting unjust
treatment by the media, and to give us the chance
to tell the “untold” stories of Italians and Italian
Americans. However, to our chagrin, we learned
that the resolution could not be achieved at the
Federal level since Congress previously decided to
no longer grant commemorative resolutions.
We then decided to embark on a state by
state effort, and as New Jersey is home to so many
Italian Americans, we began here.
The measure initially passed the Assembly
months ago, and was finally voted on for final
passage by the Senate last month (June), after
hundreds of calls and e-mails from our network of
supporters through the various organizations.
Italian Americans deserve to be treated with
dignity and respect. This will be achieved if we
stand up and speak with one, united voice against
those that have tainted us with the worse type of
negative stereotyping. We have an obligation to
change this unfair image, an image that judges the
majority of law-abiding people by a small minority.
Now is the time to turn this around. It will not be
easy. It will take time and perseverance.
This change must come about, not only for
ourselves but, more importantly, for our children
and grandchildren. We now need you to get
signatures for petitions making October Italian
American and Italian Heritage Month in your own
state (if your state does not already recognize it)
and with your help I am positive we will succeed!
When we do, we will help to support the people in
the other states that are working on a resolution in
their own state. We can then ask Congress, through
the Italian American delegation, to reintroduce our
resolution.
If you are interested in doing so, and would
like to start a movement to recognize October as
Italian American Heritage Month in a state where
you live, then please contact me at mannyalfano@
comcast.net and we will get you started today.
UNICO National is the nation’s largest Italian
American service organization with local chapters
throughout the United States. It was founded in
Waterbury, Connecticut in 1922.
Its volunteer
members work to support charitable, educational,
and service projects while promoting Italian
heritage and combating negative stereotyping.
Those individuals who would like information
on UNICO National and membership should call
973-808-0035, or visit the organization’s website at
www.unico.org
ComUNICO
your unico
foundation
The UNICO FOUNDATION INC. is a non-profit
501 (C) (3) Corporation. This classification
by the IRS, allows various contributions to
the FOUNDATION to be tax deductible. The
FOUNDATION was incorporated in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin in 1962.
The purpose of the FOUNDATION is
to receive, accept and make gifts, donations,
grants, award scholarships, fellowships and
the like for charitable, educational, literary and
religious purposes.
The Trustees of the FOUNDATION
consist of (18) eighteen members. The three
members that are automatic are the following:
President, Executive Vice President and the
Director of Scholarship of UNICO National.
The remaining Trustees are elected for a
three year term by the regular members of the
FOUNDATION. The election will take place
at the annual Convention. Any state with a
Chapter can submit a candidate for the Board of
Trustees. States having more than 500 members
are allowed 2 members on the Board. At the
National Convention, the Trustees will meet
and elect from its membership the following
officers for a one year term: President, Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Scholarships are our number one
project. Each year the FOUNDATION grants
six scholarships. There is one for post graduate
in medicine, and one for post graduate studies.
The other four are for undergraduate studies
for four years. We have made substantial grants
to Cooley’s Anemia, mental health and the V
Foundation. We have raised large amounts
of Funds for earthquake victims in Italy, in
addition to many other worthwhile causes. The
FOUNDATON also has been instrumental in
raising funds for various Italian Studies Chairs
at Seton Hall University, South Orange, New
Jersey, Montclair State University, Montclair,
New Jersey, Cal State University, Long Beach,
California and the Stony Brook University,
Long Island, New York. Every member of
UNICO National is also a member of the UNICO
FOUNDATION.
GRANT RECIPIENTS
‘V’ Foundation
Montclair State University
Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania
Bergen County Special Services
ECLC Foundation
Sinai School
Casa Italia – IAA Veterans Museum & Library
St Jude Hospital
Friendship House
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine – Dr. Battista
Student Scholarships
The term "America" is derived from the Italian
first name Amerigo, after the Italian cartographer
and explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci is
credited with proving that Columbus' islands of
the New World were in fact a new continent.
In 1507, Martin Waldseemüller created a
map naming the new continent after Amerigo
Vespucci.
September 2009
MERRIMACK
VALLEY MA
2009 SCHOLARSHIPS
The Merrimack Valley chapter of UNICO
has distributed over $375,000 in scholarships
and community service awards over the past
20 years.
Scholarships have been given to
students of Italian heritage throughout the
Merrimack Valley. Scholarships traditionally
been given through guidance counselors of the
school systems both public and private.
The mission of the Merrimack Valley
Chapter is to promote and enhance the image of
Italian Americans; for members to be of service
to the community; to promote Italian heritage
and culture; to promote, support and assist
charitable, scientific, cultural, educational, and
literary projects; to promote members interest
in public welfare and to cooperate with others
in civic, social and cultural development.
According to President Joe Giordano,
“ We are very proud of our scholarship winners
for 2009. These young people represent our best
and our brightest, our hope for the future.”
Mark L. Lalli - Haverhill High
Emily F. Guadiano - Central Catholic
Lauren E. Conti - North Andover High
Kiley F. Perrone - Methuen High
Maria C. Fiore - Lawrence High
Marissa J. Orlando - Haverhill High
Nicholas W. Galat - Andover High
Sarah Angell - St. Ann’s Staff
On a National Level, The Dr. Benjamin
J. Cottone Memorial Scholarship was
awarded to Steven Constantino of Merrimack,
Massachusetts who was originally sponsored
by the Merrimack Valley MA Chapter. The
Cottone Scholarship is awarded to a deserving
medical student. Steven is entering his second
year at Tufts Medical School in Somerville,
Mass.
For more information regarding UNICO
of Merrimack Valley, please contact Frank
Firicano, (978) 681-8686
MEMPHIS TN in las vegas!
Members of the Memphis TN chapter
took full advantage of the opportunity to enjoy
the wonderful social activites at the national
convention at Lake Las Vegas!
MERRIMACK VALLEY MA
(L-R) (front row) Marissa J. Orlando, Emily F.
Guadiano, Kiley F. Perrone, Maria C. Fiore. (back
row) Nick Ardagna (Scholarship Committee), Sarah
Angell, Mark L. Lalli, Nicholas W. Galat, President
Joe Giordano.
September 2009
(L-R) Joe Giordano (Chapter President), Steven
Constantino,
Mark
Marroni
(Scholarship
Chairman).
ComUNICO
Page 17
FAIRFIELD NJ
FOUR WEST ESSEX HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GIVEN SCHOLARSHIPS
Fairfield UNICO held their annual golf outing on June 16th 2009. The event was a great
success and raised enough money to sponsor
four students at West Essex High School each
with $1000 scholarships. Proceeds from the
golf outing were also used to make donations
to various charities such as the Cheer Me Up
Foundation, Cans for Cancer, and the Relay for
Life. The chapter also held their annual softball game with the Bloomfied Special Needs
Recreation for Young Adults. A lot of fun was
had by all. Afterwards, the softball team went
to St. Thomas Moore Church Carnival. The
food and rides at the carnival were sponsored
by the Fairfield Chapter.
The President of Fairfield UNICO, Fred
Mongelli, wanted to publicly thank to thank
the members of his chapter in ComUNICO for
having such a very succesful year.
(L-R) Joe Catenaro, John Notte and a happy guest.
(L-R) Lenny Russo, Tony Polifonte, Pete Franzi and
Tony Pompei.
(L-R) Jim Gasparini, Rich Del Russo and Gerry
Longo.
John Laforgia and Pete Franzi.
(L-R) Presenter Sergeant at Arms Bruce Puleo and
West Essex Students Alexandria Trovato, Joseph
Gasparini and Michael Fede.
Fairield UNICO President, Fred Mongelli, receiving
a thank you plaque from the Bloomfield team.
(L-R) Tony Romandeito, Mr. Gambichler, Rich Del
Russo, Meghan Gambichler, Joe Brango and Jeff
Overton who lead the Cans for Cancer campaign.
Back row: Pete Franzi, Fred Mongelli, Jeff Overton,
Joe Brango, Rich Del Russo and Mr. Gambichler,
Front row: Tony Romandeito, Meghan in the center
with friends.
Charitable donations
to UNICO charities
are tax deductible!
Send your contributions to
UNICO Foundation
271 US Highway 46, Suite
A-108, Fairfield, NJ 07004.
Joe Brango and Tony Pompei.
Page 18
Fairfield UNICO members and the Bloomfield
team.
ComUNICO
September 2009
VERONA, NJ
san diego, ca
36TH ANNUAL AWARDS
JUNE BRUNCH AT
CASTELLO MASCI
At the 36th Annual Awards dinner
held in June new members were installed
and scholarships were presented to local high
school students and the UNICAN of the Year
was honored.
Each Student received a $1,000
scholarship.
On a lazy Sunday in June, San Diego
UNICO enjoyed a family brunch at the home
of Barry and Diane Masci. Castello Masci was
the perfect venue for the event. Members and
guests enjoyed the Southern California sun
and the amazing delecacies that magically
appeared at the buffet table. The weather and
the ambiance were perfect!
Follow president
andre on Twitter !
That's right - keep up to date - literally,
with all of President André’s activities and
journeys as UNICO National President by
following him on Twitter. President André
has established a UNICO National President
account on Twitter so that he can send regular
Tweets to our members. He will be sending
out Tweets about important dates, meetings he
is attending, insider tips and suggestions and
info that's important to UNICO members across
the country, and lots of other items.
If you haven't "Twitter'ed" before - don't worry,
it's not difficult and ITS FREE! Just go to:
www.twitter.com/andreUNICOPrez
and sign-up for a free Twitter account. Then
"follow" André . You can get his Tweets on your
Twitter account as well as set it up to receive
Tweets by both email and/or your cell phone.
Remember, each Tweet is only 140
characters long so it would take just a second
to read each message. André will use this new
medium as a way to improve communication
with all of you. If you recall, it was through
Twitter that some of the most important
information got out to the world about some
recent international happenings. As a National
organization, it is essential for us to use every
means available to improve our connection
with our membership.
So, please go to Twitter and follow President
Standing: President Lisa Adubato, new member
Larry Colombo, First Vice President Linda Gail
Alati, new members Frank Di Rocco and Michael
Pescatore and National Executive Vice President
André DiMino.
Seated: New members Bonnie Sharkey and Barbara
Di Rocco.
André!!!
Host Barry Masci runs his mesquite wood fired grill
with the authority of Toscanini conducting the NBC
Symphony Orchestra.
PARLIAMO UNICO
UNICAN of the Year Nancy Magrans and her sisterDenise Palmaro.
Milan and Joan Floribus enjoy the afternoon.
The Verona UNICO Scholarship Committee
members:
Standing: Anthony Di Giacinto, Donna Kiel, Robert
Petrocine, Committee Chair Nancy Magrans and
President Lisa Adubato.
Seated-scholarship winners: Ryan Papera, Andrea
Lauckner, Taylor Zebrowski and Briana Theobald.
September 2009
Twitter is a free social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send
and read messages known as tweets. Tweets
are text-based posts of up to 140 characters
displayed on the author's profile page and
delivered to the author's subscribers who
are known as followers. Senders can restrict
delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by
default, allow open access.
PNP- Past National President
DG- District Governor
ERDC- Eastern Regional District Chair. There is also a chair for the
Midwest and Western Regions.
ERDM- Eastern Regional District Meeting. There is a Western Regional
District Meeting. The Midwest District
Meeting is held at the same time as our
Mid-Year Executive Board Meeting and
UNICO Foundation Meeting.
If you want the message of love to be heard,
it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp
burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.
-Mother Teresa
Michael Dullea introduces his son to the Italian
tradition of the great big Sunday afternoon meal!
ComUNICO
Page 19
anti-bias
I wish to thank
President Kathleen
Strozza for the honor
and opportunity to
serve as her national
Anti-Bias Committee
(ABC) Chairman.
Once again we
had an extremely
productive year as
was reported via
e-mail. This could
not have been accomplished without
an active, dedicated committee, our ABC network, ABC State Chairpersons and the coverage by ComUnico and the cooperation among
the other activists and groups. Unicans that
wish a daily up date should subscribe to:
[email protected].
Mille Grazie Award
This year our Eastern Region Award was
presented to André DiMino at the Eastern Regional Meeting. The Midwest award was presented to Joseph Maselli at the combined Board
of Directors and Midwest Regional meeting in
New Orleans.
5,000 Miles From Home
The ABC and the Belleville Chapter of UNICO sponsored a viewing of the film 5,000 Miles
From Home. This documentary was about Italian Americans from Chicago who go off to fight
in WWII for America. It was shown free at the
library in Belleville, NJ on Monday, April 20th
2009·
Italian Heritage Month in October
We had planned on a National Italian and
Italian American Heritage Month Resolution
being the first step in righting the unjust treatment by the media and to give us the chance to
tell the “untold” stories of Italians and Italian
Americans. However, to our chagrin, we learned
that the resolution could not be achieved at the
Federal level since the United States Congress
previously decided to no longer grant commemorative resolutions
The ABC is asking that each UNICO chapter work at getting October Italian American
and Italian Heritage Month in there own state.
We can then ask the United States Congress,
through the Italian American delegation, to reintroduce our resolution.
New Jersey Italian
American Heritage Month
The legislators of New Jersey have designated October as Italian American Heritage
month.
A special thank you to all the UNICANS
and their friends and families. You are making
a difference. We also thank the Italian and Italian American One Voice Coalition, the Order
of the Sons of Italy in NJ, The NJ Italian, the
Page 20
Italian American Heritage Commission, the
Federation of Italian American Societies of NJ,
the Coccia Foundation, the Center for Italian
and Italian American Culture, Amici Della Lingua Italiana and many other activists.
Stereotyping- The Good,
The Bad and the Ugly!
-Family Guy Television Cartoon
A comment was made on an episode where
the main character, Peter Griffin, created a
church called “The Fonz” and was recruiting
members to the church and he couldn’t believe
how many people joined. The talking baby
character, Stewie Griffin, commented, “After
all who doesn’t want to be Italian and stupid.”
Letters and e-mails were sent to Fox News Corporation to express discontent of the degrading
comment about Italian-Americans.
-New York Post Article: Italian Americans- Still Fair Game for Cheap Laughs By
Phil Mushnick
PNP Frank Canatta wrote to this reporter to
thank him for his article:
Dear Mr. Mushnick
As an Italian-American I applaud your column, ‘Yes, You Can Say That. About Them.” It
is long overdue. You correctly point out many
of the things we have been saying for many
years. All we want people to do is apply the
same standards of decency to us, that they
do for every other, racial, religious and ethnic
group that makeup our multi-cultural society.
It is a good to see a journalist, point not only
the unfairness but the total lack of decency, exhibited by Chris Berman.
May you and your family enjoy all that is
good during the Holiday Season!
-Verizon Wireless aired a TV commercial
with stereotypes of Italian-Americans depicting them as ignorant mafioso types.
We thank Joe Saracino of Verizon Wireless
for pulling the ad!
-Denny’s Restaurants
What could easily have been a scene from
the Sopranos series turns bad with a squirt or
two or three of canned whipped cream. A Martin Scorcese look-a-like starts the conversation:
“I’ve got a feeling Benny talked….”
-New York Knicks music irks Gallinari
Danilo Gallinari gave the crowd a thumbsup for its support but he’s not as excited about
the music selection the Knicks are using after
he scores. Gallinari scored nine points, including his first NBA dunk in a 102-98 win over the
Chicago Bulls. After each of his four baskets,
the Knicks’ long-time public address announcer
Mike Walczewski, using a thick Italian accent,
said “Daneeelo Gal-lin-ar-ay” and then played
the Italian songs “Volare” or “That’s Amore.”
When asked about hearing his name, Gallinari
said: “I need to talk a little bit with them about
that. Because it’s not so good, the pronunciation. I will talk about that. As for the music,
no, not so good.” Mike D’Antoni was somewhat surprised by the music selection himself
and looked at the scorer’s table after Gallinari’s
first basket. Apparently, Gallinari would prefer
ComUNICO
to hear a more updated, age-appropriate song.
Also, the Italian journalists who attend Gallinari’s home games said the song stereotypes
Italians.
-Washington Post Kinsley: column,
A Bailout You Can’t Refuse printed in the
March 6th edition of the Washington Post was
neither amusing nor funny. It might have been
intended to be a spoof on the President’s bailout
program, but he only succeeded in denigrating
the entire Italian American community.
-Brown University
Brown University replaced their Columbus
Day Holiday with a “Fall Weekend Celebration.” Ruth J. Simmons, President of Brown
University, did respond to an e-mail from
UNICO National President André DiMino.
She stated that students and faculty voted to
remove Columbus Day from the name of the
holiday weekend.
-Burger King
Burger King was quick to scrap an offensive
ad when bombarded with complaints!
-Curtis Sliwa’s remarks about the ItalianAmerican Museum
The founder of the Guardian Angels
questioned the value of an Italian American
Museum on his radio program. His tone was
sarcastic. He was quick to apologize and meet
with UNICO leadership.
-Red Bull Advertisement
Miller/Coors is the parent company of the
Red Bull energy drink and they quickly pulled
an offensive television ad off the air.
- Chris Christie stands up for Italian Americans!
Christopher J. Christie (born September 6,
1962) is a former United States Attorney for
the District of New Jersey and is the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey in
the 2009 election. Chris Christie took offence
to a comment made by Steve Cohen (D-TN)
who said during congressional hearings that
“Christie made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.” This is a famous line from the Godfather
movie. Christie responded that the comment
Cohen made was ethnically insensitive to Italian Americans.
Cohen sarcastically replied that he did not
know that Christie was of Italian descent. Chris
Christie could have ignored that comment
but didn’t and pressed the point that Cohen’s
previous remarks were insensitive to ItalianAmericans.
When Italian Americans are defamed, stereotyped and ridiculed by the media and the
entertainment community it’s called a parody
and/or satire. Italian Americans that are offended are then told to lighten up!
If it’s about almost any other another group
such stereotyping is called bigotry.
Emanuele Alfano
(973) 429-2818
[email protected]
September 2009
PLAINFIELDS, NJ
VERONA, NJ
JUNE 24 MEETING AT GIOVANNA’S RISTORANTE
MAY MEETING
At the May meeting donations were
made to local Charities.
New Plainfields UNICO President Anthony
Bengivenga (C) was sworn in by Plainfields UNICO
Founder and past UNICO National President,
Renato Biribin (L) and previous Plainfields UNICO
President Robert Bengivenga Sr. (R).
Robert Matticola, Director of Homeland Security
and Safety and Compliance Coordinator for NY
Waterway (second from right, holding award) was
honored by Plainfields UNICO for his efforts in
ordering the ferries which responded on the scene
to rescue passengers from US Airways Flight 1549
which performed a miraculously safe emergency
landing in the Hudson River on January 15th.
Matticola, an Italian-American is also a 1984
graduate of South Plainfield High School and a
current resident in that municipality. Also pictured:
(l. to r.) Plainfields UNICO member Anthony Cotoia,
past Plainfields UNICO President Robert Bengivenga
Sr., and Renato Biribin (far right), Plainfields UNICO
founder and Past UNICO National President.
UNICO
was
founded
on
October 10, 1922 in Waterbury,
Connecticut. A group of 15 men,
led by Dr. Anthony P. Vastola,
came together to create what has
become a very special and very
proud organization. It was Dr.
Vastola's dream to create an Italian
American service organization
to engage in charitable works,
support higher education, and
perform patriotic deeds.
September 2009
The New Plainfields UNICO officers took their oaths
for their respective 2009-2010 terms led by past
National President and Plainfields UNICO member
Frank Licato who is holding the program booklet.
Bettina Dubas (second from left) was sworn in
and welcomed as a new member by past chapter
president Robert Bengivenga Jr. (far left), Immaculata
Carotenuto (third from left), a Plainfields UNICO
member who is also her sister, Mike Collucci,
Plainfields UNICO Sergeant at Arms (fourth from
left), and Renato Biribin, Plainfields UNICO founder
and Past UNICO National President.
President Lisa Adubato and Fundraising Chair Tom
Malanga present a $1,000 check to a member of the
Essex Running Club to benefit a runner seriously
injured in an accident.
President Lisa Adubato presents donations to
representatives of the Verona Police and Fire
Departments and to the Verona Children’s Fund.
Greater Ramsey
Charity Di Vino
A Wine Tasting Event
The Greater Ramsey Chapter invites you to attend our Wine Tasting to benefit
Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey and Shelter our Sisters
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sheraton Crossroads, Mahwah, NJ
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
$60 in advance
$75 pp at the door
Buy 5 tickets and get the 6th ticket free
To register or for more information, Call 201-739-2445
or visit us at:
www.unico.org/files/winetasting.pdf
ComUNICO
Page 21
HAZLETON PA
SAN DIEGO CA
UNICO Hazleton Festa d`Italiano
brian piccolo
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Visit our UNICO
National Website:
UNICO.ORG
Page 22
The San Diego chapter of
UNICO awarded scholarships to
four students of Italian-American
heritage at its annual awards
ceremony and dinner held on June
7. Anthony Bickett of El Cajon,
Sara Frondoni of Carlsbad, Kaitlyn
Quigley of Vista and Michael
McGlenn of San Diego each
earned a $1,500 Anthony Furlano
Scholarship Award acknowledging
their accomplishments in athletic
and academic achievement and
community service. More than
50 high school seniors from
throughout the San Diego area
applied for the scholarships.
Anthony Bickett of West
Hills High School in Santee will
study biomedical engineering
at UC Davis in preparation for a
career in medicine. Bickett is a
member of the National Society of
High School Scholars. He played
baseball and football at West Hills
High and was a volunteer at Sharp
Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.
Sara Frondoni of La Costa
Canyon High School in Carlsbad
will pursue vocal performance
and broadcast journalism at
USC. She played recreational
soccer and was a member of La
Costa Canyon’s water polo team.
Frondoni participated in musical
theater, opera and dance during
her high school career. She sang
the national anthem at the CIF
high school football championship
at Qualcomm Stadium in 2008
and sang at the 250th Mozart
Anniversary Choir Festival in
Austria in 2006.
Kaitlyn Quigley of Rancho
Buena Vista High School in Vista
will continue her interest in
environmental film-making and
broadcasting at the University of
Victoria in Canada. She played
volleyball, basketball and softball
and was a member of the track and
surf teams at Rancho Buena Vista.
Her community service activities
include Amnesty International,
Sierra Club, Equality for All and
Invisible Children.
Michael McGlenn of Saint
Augustine High School in San
Diego is headed to San Diego State
University to study psychology
after 2 years as a member of the
Union Tribune Student-Athlete
All-Academic Team. McGlenn
participated in cross country and
ComUNICO
track throughout his high school
career. He is an Eagle Scout
and contributed 135 hours of
community service time on behalf
of Saint Augustine High School.
“We
are
proud
to
recognize the accomplishments
of these students, who reflect the
commitment to community, family
and education which are central to
the Italian-American heritage, said
James Pieri, Jr., President of the
San Diego Chapter of UNICO.”
The venue for the dinner
was the University Club perched
high above the city at the top of
Symphony Towers. Members
and guests enjoyed a great dinner
and live musical entertainment.
Young teen prodigy Brian Pado
played the piano and our talented
scholar Sara Frondoni did some
impromptu singing!
The San Diego Chapter awarded
scholarships to four students.
Frank Turlo served as our master of
Ceremonies.
Scholar Sara Frondini sang as young
Brian Pado played piano.
Sue and Tony Prete enjoyed the dinner
and awards presentation.
September 2009
FROM THE PRESIDENT”S DESK
(Continued from Page 2)
experience, that young people have a strong
interest in their Italian heritage. This is our
opportunity to bring UNICO to more young
people and more young people into UNICO.
We should expand our efforts in bringing in
regular youth members as well as increasing
the number of ACES groups around the
country. I am pleased that my own chapter,
Woodcliff Lake, is launching an ACES program
this fall and I challenge all chapters to launch
an ACES program this year. To help you in
your youth efforts, we have an energetic and
dedicated young member who has excelled
on the local level with her involvement in the
Point Pleasant Chapter. She has now stepped
forward to bring her energy and dedication to
the National level. I am pleased to tell you that
my appointment as chair of our National Youth
Committee is Marissa Gynn. Please work with
Marissa in starting an ACES program in your
chapter and at attracting more young members
to join UNICO.
Of course, growth definitely comes from
starting new Chapters through our Expansion
efforts. This past year, our Expansion Director,
Gerry Heytink, has done an outstanding job in
chartering several new chapters. Bravo, Gerry!
He has committed to me that he will continue
his efforts this coming year. Gerry certainly
can use everyone’s help in chartering new
chapters. But, here’s my challenge to Gerry
and everyone: We currently have chapters in
18 states. I know that Gerry has prospects in 7
more states and in Puerto Rico. My goal is for
UNICO to have Chapters in a majority of the
country during my term. With 50 States that
means we need to charter chapters in 8 more
states! With prospects in 7 already, and with
Gerry’s diligent efforts and your help, I know
we can meet this challenge and achieve this
goal.
• The third word - Outreach
Many have commented that UNICO
is the best kept secret in the country. I have
heard from many of our own members that
UNICO should be more well-known with
higher visibility, both locally and nationally.
I believe one of the reasons for this is that we
have been guilty in the past of not “tooting our
own horn.” I don’t think anyone would deny
that if we had higher visibility and notoriety
it would assist us in our charitable work and
community service. Therefore, we need to
significantly ramp-up our Outreach.
It was not that long ago that a National
President launched an effort at building
higher visibility for UNICO on the national
scene. Through his efforts, UNICO achieved
recognition as one of the major Italian American
organizations in the country. I would like to
expand on this effort and I have asked that
Past National President, John Alati, to serve as
Presidential Liaison for Public Affairs.
Another facet of our outreach has been
through our recognition of an outstanding
person from the armed services with our
Basilone Award over the past several years. At
a recent meeting of the Executive Committee
it was determined that we should have a
constitutional amendment to make this award
September
July 2009 2009
permanent. I believe that is a good first step.
But, I would like to see even more outreach to
our armed services and veterans. To help in
that goal, I have asked Frank Cannata to serve
as Armed Services Liaison.
The last part of my plan to expand
outreach is to significantly elevate our public
identity and public exposure. As a national
organization we are way behind the times in
this regard. We need a concerted and active
effort in public relations, publicity and a wider
presence in electronic media vehicles such as
Twitter, Facebook, our web site and other venues
– because in today’s world, if you are not there,
you are nowhere. But, to do that correctly, we
need someone at a National Officer level, that
will concentrate their efforts on this full-time.
Establishing a new National Officer requires a
constitutional amendment and I am pleased
that the Belleville Chapter will be putting
forth such an amendment to support my goals.
Between now and the establishment of this new
officer position, I will be appointing someone
to act as our Director of Communications and
be responsible for our public exposure and
public identity.
So those are my challenges to you
under the three words of Continuity, Growth
and Outreach. Now onto the “Essential ReCommitment” to “Our Shared Heritage, Our
Shared Pride.”
We do an outstanding job each year in
all of our service activities both locally and
nationally, for scholarships, charities and
community service. I really don’t see the need
to encourage you further in this regard - just
keep doing what you have been doing! But, we
do need to re-commit ourselves to promoting,
preserving, celebrating and enjoying our rich
and proud Italian heritage. It is time for us to
launch an “Essential Re-Commitment” to “Our
Shared Heritage, Our Shared Pride”.
Of course, we already do certain things
for our heritage and culture and we do them
well. Our efforts in launching Italian Studies
chairs; our Columbus Day events around the
country; our success in securing the permanent
recognition of October as Italian and Italian
American Heritage month in New Jersey and
hopefully in other states; the diligent work of
our Anti-Bias Committee and Dr. Manny Alfano
in defending against negative portrayals of our
heritage and culture as well as through positive
initiatives such as the Mille Grazie award and
through our most recent exciting project of
publishing our Italian and Italian American
Heritage Calendar which you will hear more
about in the coming months. But, we can’t
stop there!
UNICO should be the “standard-bearer”
of our rich and proud Italian American heritage
and culture. To that end we need to do more,
and we have to find more ways to meet this
goal.
So here are my challenges to you.
Last year I launched a comprehensive
program for conducting a “Rediscover Your
Italian Heritage” event that is available
to everyone in a step-by-step PowerPoint
Presentation. My own chapter, Woodcliff
Lake, conducted this program and it was very
successful in providing a positive community
ComUNICO
event promoting and celebrating our heritage
while serving as an excellent recruiting tool
bringing motivated new members into the
chapter. In fact, thanks to Linda-Gail Alati,
the Verona Chapter was the first chapter to
successfully replicate this event.
So my
challenge to you is that in the next 10 months
I am expecting each and every chapter to
conduct a “Rediscover Your Italian Heritage”
event. Just follow the step-by-step guide and I
know you will be successful. If you need help,
just let me know – but please do it!
Another initiative that we will launch
is what I call “L’Arte D’UNICO.” Throughout
history Italians have created beautiful works
of art proving that artistic expression and
creativity are certainly part of our culture and
heritage. In fact, I know we have some very
talented people in UNICO that are painters,
photographers,
sculptors
and
crafters,
expressing their creativity through many forms
of artistic expression. We also have a great
looking National Office that many people
just don’t have the chance to see. Well, we
are going to “kill two birds with one stone!”
We will be inviting our talented UNICANS to
exhibit their work at an Exhibition and Open
House at our National Office. The first of these
is scheduled for October 1 to 3. If you would
like to exhibit your work please get in touch
with me right away. More info on our L’Arte
D’UNICO Exhibition and Open House will be
coming to you soon.
Next, I have a somewhat bigger
challenge - but I know that you are up to it! We
are so fortunate to have many UNICO members
who were born in Italy. I salute and respect
all of these members as our closest connection
to our proud Italian heritage. However, to
foster a greater connection to our heritage I am
asking each chapter to establish a connection
with a city or town in Italy. I know that some
of our chapters have already done so and are
enjoying the benefits of this direct connection
to the land of our heritage. By establishing a
relationship with a “brother” or “sister” town
or city, you can achieve a stronger connection
with your heritage. I realize that this may be
a big undertaking, but on the National level
we will do our best to assist you in this regard
through contact with Italian consulates and
other offices that can help us achieve this goal.
In addition to these specific challenges,
we must look for more ways for UNICO to be
the standard-bearer of our Italian American
Heritage. Look into your own Italian roots,
learn to speak Italian, promote Italian cultural
events, celebrate your heritage and culture! I am
so proud of my Italian Heritage! I consider it to
be my responsibility to promote and preserve
our rich heritage. And, now I ask each and
every one of you to join me in our “Essential
Re-Commitment” to “Our Shared Heritage, Our
Shared Pride!”
Thanks for your support and thanks
for your continued commitment to our beloved
UNICO!
Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending.
You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds?
Lay first the foundation of humility.
-Saint Augustine
Page 23
PASSAIC VALLEY NJ
be seen on the Passaic Valley Chapter Website
www.PVUNICO.com
More members walked that are shown
in the picture/pictures that came with this
story.
RELAY FOR LIFE
FUNDRAISING WALK
Carol Verrone (Freckles the Clown) and Pat Pelonero
(UNICO National Office Manager) ... Both involved
and helping the Passaic Valley Chapter in an American Cancer Society Relay for Life Walk.
The Passaic Valley Chapter Relay For Life Team.
Members of the Passaic Valley Chapter
walked overnight in a fundraising effort to help
the American Cancer Society
Held at Passaic Valley High School in
Little Falls, NJ, chapter members camped out,
walked, slept, and walked even more to help
raise money in a joint effort with other local
organizations and teams. Over $35,000 was
raised over the weekend. More pictures can
BOOK REVIEW
“ELIZABETH STREET:
A NOVEL BASED ON
TRUE EVENTS”
Reviewed
by Marianne
Lalli Regan
Laurie Fabiano
has written the
book that we all
wish we could
write. She has meticulously researched her great-grandmother’s
journey from her home in Scilla, Calabria “in
the toe” of the boot, to the halls of Ellis Island,
and finally, to the tenements of Little Italy in
Manhattan’s lower east side. Mixing factual
history with historical fiction, Fabiano has
created a compelling story that except for the
names of the main characters, could be yours
or mine.
Fabiano’s great-grandmother, Giovanna
Costa Pontilla Siena, meets with the very real
Lieutenant Giuseppe Petrosino, Little Italy’s
own crusading cop. Her path crosses with “Il
Lupo” fictional or factional head of one of the
branches of La Mano Nero, a loosely organized
group of thieves and worse, who preyed on the
poor Italian immigrants. Fabiano describes
Page 24
Kathy Masone, 1st VP of the Passaic Valley Chapter
helping out in a Relay for Life Fundraising Walk.
John Morano on the sax providing some Relay for
Life entertainment.
what it was like to live in the immigrant neighborhoods where one block was Italian, the next
one over was Irish, the next one past that was
Chinese, and perhaps the next one over from
that was Jewish. How the immigrant families
helped one another and, unfortunately, some
who also preyed upon one another.
Delving into the history of “La Mano
Nero,” Fabiano learns that it was originally
formed in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. It began as a secret society which fought
the government and the church. Around 1888,
a reporter who worked for the The New York
Herald used the term in a story on an unsolved
murder in Manhattan’s Italian community
and breathed new life into the mystique of La
Mano Nero. Some say this was the precursor
to what later became the Mafia. To be blackmailed or threatened by La Mano Nero was
to be “black handed.” Fear and superstition
among the newly arrived immigrants, as well
as the influx of criminals who fled Italy and
entered unchecked into this country, allowed
the gangs to thrive and prosper. Because it was
all so loosely organized, it was not uncommon
for a shopkeeper to be black handed by three
different crooks at the same time, all promising
protection against one another!
Fabiano’s grandmother, Angela, daughter of Giovanna and Rocco Siena, was kidnapped by La Mano Nero and held for ransom
for three months. During all of Fabiano’s life,
she can remember her grandmother being
reticent to talk about that time and it wasn’t
until recently that the entire story came out,
describing a dark part of her family’s history.
Fabiano’s forceful narrative keeps you reading
far into the night until you are assured that everyone is safe and sound.
Of course, no personal story of this
magnitude would be complete without a trip
to the “old country” to find any living relatives. Fabiano does that, by going to Scilla and
meeting up with both her Grandmother’s side
of the family and her Grandfather’s side, and
learns that not only are they cousins, but that
her family tree has many such intertwined connections. She is surrounded by people who instantly love and accept her just because she is
family, and who provide many of the missing
links in her family’s history.
A thoroughly enjoyable novel, and one
you’ll want to pass on to friends and family.
For more information on the immigrant experience, a good companion read is “Island of
Hope, Island of Tears,” by David M. and Douglas L. Brownstone, and Irene M. Franck. This
book is a collection of personal interviews of
actual immigrants of all nationalities and offers a glimpse of what it was like to actually
go through the entire process of entering this
country during those hectic years of uncontrolled migration from Europe. Fascinating
reading and it makes you appreciate this great
and welcoming country of ours.
ComUNICO
Elizabeth Street:
A Novel Based On True Events
Laurie Fabiano
Fig Books, 2006
ISBN: 978-1-4421-5261-8
Island of Hope, Island of Tears
David M. Brownstone, Irene M. Franck, and
Douglass L. Brownstone
2003, Barnes & Noble
ISBN-13: 9781586635787
September 2009
welcome to lake las vegas!
wednesday night
ice breaker
This year’s UNICO National Convention was wonderful. The event was the culmination of hundreds of
hours of hard work by the 2009 Convention Committee led by Paul Alongi. The Ritz Carlton Hotel at Lake
Las Vegas was an ideal venue. All of our meetings were productive and our social events were great fun.
pre-convention
golf
September 2009
registration
ComUNICO
Page 25
Convention Saturday night inaugural ball
The very impressive full dais at our Saturday night Inaugural Ball. The evening was perfect!
The first official photograph of President André and
First Lady Jenny.
Buddy Fortunato receives the Antonio R. Rizzuto
Award presented to a non-UNICAN who contributes
to the betterment of mankind.
Marine Corps Aviator, Captain Jarrod DePasquale
receives the Basilone Freedom Award.
Past National Presidents at the Inaugural Ball.
The Passaic Valley NJ Chapter of UNICO.
Deana Martin is the daughter of famous Italian
American singer Dean Martin. President André
presented a Presidential Award of Merit to Deana.
Joseph V. Scelsa accepts the Joseph P. Cianci Humanitarian Award. He is the founder of the Italian
American Museum in New York City.
PNP Anthony Fornelli at the podium.
Jenny DiMino with the Moranos. John has served
for many years as the UNICO National Sergeant-AtArms
Jenny DiMino was moved to tears during her first
address to the convention crowd as the new First
Lady of UNICO. Jenny expressed her sincere love
for UNICO and her Italian heritage.
The new National Officers for the 2009-2010 year. Congratulations and thank you for your service!
Convention Saturday night inaugural ball- time to celebrate!
Striking a pose at the Inaugural Ball! (L-R) Vince Lombardi Award winner and NFL Super Bowl quarterback Vince Ferrragamo, Jodi Ferragamo, Deana Martin and John Griffeth and President André and First
Lady Jenny.
opening session on the convention floor
awards
luncheon
President Kathi Strozza and Past National President
Michael D’Arminio.
André DiMino with awardees Vince Ferragamo,
Rich Ruffalo and Joe Hathaway.
2009 Convention Chairman, Paul Alongi, welcomes
the UNICO delegates from across the country to Lake
Las Vegas. Paul deserves great credit for organizing
such a splendid convention.
The Verona NJ Chapter receives an award.
UNICO is an Italian American organization and we
celebrated our patriotism with the singing of the Star
Spangled Banner during opening ceremonies.
Three of our past national presidents (PNPs) sitting
at the PNP Table.
President Kathi Strozza presents an award to the
Woodcliff Lake Chapter.
An impressive military color guard from Nellis Air
Force base presented the colors.
Our National Vice Presidents keenly watch the proceeding from the head dais.
Members of UNICO reflect on their blessings as the
opening prayer was delivered.
Western Regional Chair Jim DeSpenza (C) and
UNICO National Treasurer Frank Greco (R) enjoy
the program.
Nina Held makes a point while Tony Fornelli waits
for his turn at the microphone.
President Kathi Strozza with Portland OR president
Joanne Gallo and UNICO National Expansion Chair
Gerry Heytink.
Delegates anticipate the high energy and fun of the
politics of the convention floor!
Executive Vice-President,
Chris DiMattio, served as
the Master of Ceremonies
for the Awards Luncheon.
President Kathi Strozza is escorted into the convention hall by several Past National Presidents.
PAGE 28
André DiMino and Kathi Strozza with Andy A.
Hafen who is the Mayor of Henderson NV. The Ritz
Carlton Hotel at Lake Las Vegas is actually located
in Henderson, a fast growing suburb of Las Vegas.
ComUNICO
September 2009
September 2009
ComUNICO
Page 29
MEMPHIS TN
MEMPHIS TN
PT. PLEASANT NJ
ANNUAL GOLF
FUNDRAISER
BRIAN PICCOLO AWARD
SCHOLARSHIP EVENT
The UNICO Memphis Chapter had a fun
and prosperous Annual Golf Tournament at
Wedgewood Country Club in Southhaven, MS
on June 5, 2009. As one of the chapter’s largest fund raisers, the chapter raised over $7,400
during this event. Michael Spano, chaired the
golf tournament committee and many UNICO
Memphis members and other volunteers assisted either with their time or donations including: Michael and Linda Spano, Ron and Regina
Giometti, Giometti’s grandson, Ron and Kathy
Poletti, Mike and Gerri Camurati, Bobby Cross,
Sharon Thompson, Ray and Lou Ricossa, Angelo Lucchesi, Frank Navarra and Gayle Ward.
“Thanks” goes to all who assisted, members
that enlisted golf teams, the golfers that played
and the sponsors that donated.
The tournament offered a chance to
win a 2009 Honda FIT car for a hole in one
but unfortunately nobody won. UNICO Memphis members cooked hot dogs for lunch and
we had Spaghetti catered in for the dinner at
the end of the day. After the dinner, Michael
Spano, announced the winners for the day and
gift certificates were presented to the winners.
All in all it was a successful fund raiser and
fun day for everyone.
The Brian Piccolo Award was established in 1977 by UNICO Memphis to honor
this Italian American’s achievements, which
have become synonymous with courage. Our
recipient this year is Maria Tucci, the daughter of Gail and the late Peter Tucci. Maria just
graduated from St. Benedict’s High School
where she maintained a 4.0 average in an honor track program. She is not only an exemplary
student and citizen, but a gifted athlete. Maria
played tennis for 4 years and was instrumental
in helping her team advance to the play-offs
and secure a winning record for the year.
She was a student Ambassador, VP of
SADD, a member of the National Honor Society, and Retreat Leader. Furthermore, her
winning the Bobby Russell Scholarship Essay
Contest was most noteworthy. She expressed
her gratitude for the faculty’s great concern and
prayers for her father. Her essay expressed how
special a Catholic education was to her and
how it should be appreciated by all fortunate
enough to have one.
To paraphrase Brian Piccolo, “There are
so many ups and downs along my road. You’ve
got to believe in yourself, not to show anybody
else, but just to prove it to yourself.” Maria has
done this. UNICO Memphis was honored to
present to Maria the Brian Piccolo Award.
Each year the members of Point Pleasant Beach UNICO host a charity event to raise
money for local scholarships. This year the
committee hosted a Dinner Dance featuring
entertainment by Andre and Cirell who are
Las Vegas style singers and impersonators who
provided an evening of music and comedy. A
dinner buffet by Spano’s at The White Sands
and gift auction were also part of the evening
festivities. Chairperson Debbie Vaccaro was assisted by committee members Laura Lenhart,
Ann Vaccarino, Diane Grabowski, Cathy Lobosco, Donna Grassano, Marissa Gynn and Ella
Cipolla.
Scholarships were presented at the
Awards night at two local high schools by outgoing President Grace Gynn along with new
Chapter President Tony Scardaville.
Receiving the awards from Point Beach
High school were Camille Sassano with Kara
Krishman receiving the Stella e Luna UNICO
scholarship. From Point Boro High School
Chris Mayer, Christopher Tranchito and Julie
Crisculo were presented UNICO scholarships
and Jake Scott received the Palombini Memorial UNICO award. Each student along with
their families were invited to Point Pleasant’s
UNICO’s Annual Scholarship Dinner, which
honors all the young people in their chapter.
Special guests were the 41 Junior (ACES) and
Youth Members who were on hand to congratulate the new scholarship winners. Each awardee
also received membership into UNICO as well
as a gift bag of college supplies. All members
are proud of these outstanding young Italian
Americans and wish them success in the future.
WHAT IS NIAF ?
The National Italian American Foundation
(NIAF) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
educational foundation that promotes
Italian American culture and heritage. NIAF
serves as a resource on the Italian American
community and has educational and youth
programs including scholarships, grants,
heritage travel, and mentoring.
NIAF is also the voice for Italian
Americans in Washington, DC and
works closely with the Italian American
Congressional Delegation and the White
House. NIAF’s mission includes advancing
US – Italy business, political, and cultural
relations and has a business council that
promotes networking with corporate
leaders.
The NIAF was founded in 1975 with
offices in Washington, DC.
Page 30
ComUNICO
Point Pleasant officers Camile Kreutzer,Dominick
Fiumano, Debbie Vaccaro, Grace Gynn and Tony
Scardaville with entertainers Andre and Cirell.
(L-R Scholarship Chair, Camille Kreutzer, Kara
Krichman, Camille Sassano, Chris Mayer and Jake
Scott and committee member Claire Durso.
September 2009
UNICO NATIONAL
SCHOLARSHIP REPORT
The Scholarship
Committee is proud to
present the recipients
of our 2009 UNICO
National Awards:
Major Don S.
Gentile Memorial
Scholarship
Robert Elliot Gross
Sponsored by the
Kearny NJ Chapter
Judged in New Jersey
William C. Davini Memorial Scholarship
Meredith Gray Wright Sponsored by the Orange/W.
Orange NJ Chapter
Judged in Pennsylvania
Alphonse A. Miele Memorial Scholarship
Nicole M. Schollmeyer Sponsored by the Orange/W.
Orange NJ Chapter
Judged in California
Theodore Mazza Memorial Scholarship
Anthony Glenn Rauco Sponsored by the Nutley NJ Chapter
Judged in Texas
Sgt. John Basilone Memorial Scholarship
Cara Marie Murphy Sponsored by the Marlboro NY Chapter
Judged in New Jersey
Dr. Benjamin J. Cottone
Memorial Scholarship
Steven Kyriakos Constantino Sponsored by the Merrimack
Valley MA Chapter
Judged in Tennessee
The value of our scholarship program
is affirmed by the increase in participation.
This year we received applications from 150
students. Since most submitted for multiple
scholarships, we handled well over 400 entries.
There were nominations from 56 Chapters
representing 25 Districts in 14 states.
Candidates demonstrated exceptional
qualifications. The scholastic achievements,
extra curricular activities and community
service projects of these students are remarkable
and worthy of recognition. Selecting the
recipients was extremely difficult. We extend our
thanks and congratulations to all participants.
We sincerely respect their accomplishments.
It is important to acknowledge the
work and effort of our chapters that submitted
nominations. It requires serious commitment
to review the application forms, making certain
that all is in order. Thank you for your diligence
in support of your candidates.
To ensure the integrity of our awards,
judging is conducted as objectively as possible.
September 2009
Applications are anonymously screened by
the Review Committee to determine academic
qualifications. Final selections are made by our
judging committees. Chaired by a Scholarship
Committee member, but composed of nonUNICANS, judging committees in separate
locations evaluate applications using prescribed
criteria.
Review Committee:
Charles Russo, Eugene Santoli, Dr. Malcolm
Sturchio, Robert Tarte, Dr. M. Ann Walko
Judging Committee Chairs:
Dr. M. Ann Walko – Gentile Scholarship
Mark McDade. – Davini Scholarship
Samuel Adrignola – Miele Scholarship
Dr. Anthony J. Arabia – Mazza Scholarship
Charles Russo – Basilone Scholarship
Sharon Thompson – Cottone Scholarship
While we continue to explore ways
to stabilize funding, it is apparent that the
direct support of our chapters is essential.
We thank all chapters who have contributed
to our Scholarship Program by sponsoring
candidates and providing donations. UNICO
National Scholarships exist only because of
your commitment.
On behalf of the Scholarship Committee,
I extend our deepest sympathies to the family of
Dr. Malcolm Sturchio. Dr. Sturchio, a member of
the Montville NJ Chapter, was a well respected
educator and committed UNICAN. He was a
valued member of the Scholarship Committee
serving as a Judging Committee Chair and later
as a member of our Review Committee. Dr. Mal
was always willing to help. He brought to the
Scholarship Committee professionalism and
expertise that will be truly missed. We are
greatly saddened by his loss.
Joan N. Tidona
Scholarship Director
PRIDE AND HERITAGE
A Tribute To Domenic
by Richard Caifano
DG Illinois I
His is the story of countless immigrants
whose courage has brought inspiration and
meaning to our lives. Each of us can then relate to the story I tell in honor of the man who
made it possible, my grandfather Domenic.
He was born on the Ides of March in the
Town of Moliterno, Province of Potenza in the
Region of Basilicata. He was a stone-cutter by
trade. He stood a mere 5’ 5” in height and full
of dreams for his family. He smoked whatever
was available from Camel cigarettes to Parodi
cigars. He spoke halting English with that unforgettable Italian accent. And how he loved
his wine!
He had a thirst for knowledge but didn’t
read well. I would teach him the math tables
and read to him in English. In return, he taught
me card games like scoppa and briscole. He revealed to me the guarded ways of wine making
and gardening. We cultured a fig tree in Chi-
ComUNICO
cago’s unaccepting climate-a tree I learned to
wrap and bury each fall and to unearth in the
warmth of the following spring. Oh, how sweet
that fruit.
Growing up in Domenic’s household, I
heard only the modest story he allowed of how
he came to Chicago:
He and my grandmother began their
life in America in the dawn of the 20th
Century.
When the family grew to include three
sons, they moved to Chicago, became citizens
of their new country and flourished as a family
in their own home.
A few years ago I became interested in
family history and began to access tools to reach
out for the records of family, here and abroad.
I learned that my grandparents sailed on the
steamship Venezia out of the port of Naples
and arrived at Ellis Island on the 19th day of
March, 1909. It was easy to deduce from family records that my grandmother was pregnant
with their first son when they arrived in this
country. Their destination, like so many other
Italian immigrants was DeKoven Street in the
tenement sector of New York City. Ten years
later they made it to their first home in Chicago
at 1080 Sangamon Street. And when they were
able to buy their first home, they settled in the
Tri-Taylor neighborhood of Chicago at 900 S.
Leavitt Street. We knew that our grandparents
became naturalized citizens after they arrived
in Chicago, but the details were not remembered and the documents had been misplaced.
Further search revealed the surprising
fact that Domenic first traveled to this Country
on the ship Germania arriving at Ellis Island on
June 30,1906 at the age of 18 years. He stayed
only a few months returning to his native Italy
where he traveled to meet and eventually to
marry Antonia Maria Laviola in the hill town
of Pisticci, Province of Matera in the Region of
Basilicata.
While courageous, Domenic also took
care to learn if America was the place he would
make the home of his family. We conclude that
he liked what he saw on his first visit as he returned to Ellis Island with his expectant wife
less than three years later. He held many jobs
during his life, from stone cutter and mason
to ditch digger and sewer worker to flagman
on a construction site where his working days
ended abruptly in the early 1950’s.
Ultimately, we learn that the documents
conferring citizenship upon my grandparents
on April 7, 1921 are stored in the archives of
the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court
of Cook County, at Chicago, Illinois, where
literally thousands of such records await discovery. In the years preceding WWII, both the
State and Federal Courts were vested with the
authority to confer Citizenship upon qualified
applicants.
How proud Dominic would be now that
his legacy includes his great grandchildren:
Ricky, accountant; Donn, senior bank officer,
Judy and Catherine, legal professionals; Christina, college professor, Marty, golf professional;
Danielle and Marc, accomplished sales representatives; Cheryl and Scott, entrepreneurs.
Indeed. How proud we are to be the
sons and daughters of a man from such humble
beginnings with such remarkable courage and
foresight -Domenic Caifano.
Page 31
national scrapbook
winners
The 2009 Convention proved to be
SPECTACULAR in many ways. And speaking of spectacular, the SCRAPBOOK and DVD
entries were just that – very impressive! This
year’s entries showed such creativity and demonstrated such diverse fundraising activities.
It was evident that a lot of time, talent and
thought went into every entry. The committee’s task proved very challenging in choosing
the winner in each category. Every entry was a
sight to behold.
That being said, each entry is judged
according to an established point system that
has been made available to all of the Chapters
through their Presidents. Judges are comprised
of UNICO members from throughout the United
States. They carefully score the scrapbook entries that are not in competition with their own
Chapter scrapbook. This allows for fairness and
objectivity.
The winner in the DVD category was
the Passaic Valley Chapter. In the scrapbook
category, the small chapter division was won
by the Kearny Chapter; the medium size chapter winner was the Plainfield Chapter; and the
Scranton Chapter won in the large size category.
Winning chapters are awarded a Banner Patch
and all participating chapters receive a Certificate. Congratulations to all of the winners and
to all who entered the competition.
Now is the time to begin collecting
material for next year’s entries. You will be so
pleased with the outcome and your chapter
will be thrilled to see all of their accomplishments, whether in DVD or SCRAPBOOK form.
So, chapter presidents, ask for volunteers or appoint members to this worthwhile task. You’ll
be glad you did!
The committee came up with a few suggestions to help in judging this award. If the
suggestions are accepted, the news will be
passed on to you. So stay tuned for a future article on this topic.
Respectfully,
Michele McDade
Scrapbook Chairperson
SAN ANTONIO
(L-R) The recipients of the Scrapbook Awards: Rose
Gaetano, Scranton, Large Chapter Award, Celeste
Pandolfi, Kearny, Small Chapter Award, Robert
Bengivenga, Plainfields, Medium Chapter Award.
Not pictured is Steve Pelonero, Passaic Valley,
DVD Award. The awards were presented at the
2009 UNICO National Convention held at the Ritz
Carlton Resort in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada.
Michele McDade, Scrapbook Committee Chairperson
(2nd from left) presents certificates and patches to
(l-r) Rose Gaetano, Scranton, Large Chapter Award,
Celeste Pandolfi, Kearny, Small Chapter Award and
Steve Pelonero, Passaic Valley, DVD Award. Not
pictured is Robert Bengivenga, Plainfields, Medium
Chapter Award.
Judging this year’s Scrapbook and DVD entries are
seated from left to right: Rose and Frank Blasi, Sharon Thompson and Gerri Camurati. Standing from
left to right are: Scrapbook Chairperson Michele
McDade, Tanya Brutto, Celeste Pandolfi, Andrea
Leone Kelly, Bernie Brutto, Yvonne Gatto, Jean DeSio, Theresa Tropeano and Patricia Calabro.
Tony Arabia and UNICO National
President
Kathleen Strozza in Columbus Park at the Columbus
Statue in San Antonio.
San Antonio Columbus Hall Spaghetti Dinner. (LR): Front: Phil Merola, Joe and Patsy Monaco. Rear:
Rose Marie Arabia, National President Kathi, Bill
and Elizabety Kelly.
San Antonio Chapter Walkathon. (L-R): Front: Joe
and Patsy Monaco, Rose Marie Arabia. Rear: Phil
Merola, Tony Arabia and Bill Kelly.
Visit our
unico national website!
UNICO.ORG
Contact our UNICO Webmaster at:
Joe Cerullo at [email protected]
Page 32
ComUNICO
An Italian American (Italian: Italoamericano
singular, Italoamericani plural) is an
American of Italian ancestry, and/or may
also refer to someone possessing Italian/
American dual citizenship. This particular
group of people maintain a sense of pride
in their heritage rarely seen throughout
America, and indeed, the rest of the world.
Italian Americans are the fourth largest
European ethnic group in the United
States.
September 2009
Pennsylvania ii in las vegas!
At the last UNICO Convention in Lake Las
Vegas during July 28 to August 2, 2009 six PA II
members were elected National Officers. Christopher DiMattio of the Scranton Chapter was
elected Executive Vice President while Carbondale member, Glenn Pettinato, was elected
First Vice President. Attorney Frank Blasi of
the Scranton Chapter was elected National
Counsel and Carbondale member, Dr. Peter
Pettinato, was elected a trustee and secretary
of the National Foundation. Scranton member
Michael Fiorelli was elected Auditor and Sayre
member, Dr. Felix DeSio was elected PA II District Governor. The outgoing PA II District Governor was Chip Calabro of Carbondale who was
selected as the Distinguished District Governor
of 2009 by UNICO.
During the Wednesday Ice Breaker which
had a theme called “Essence of Italy” where
it was recommended to dress in some Italian
theme, the Carbondale Chapter won best outfit
for dressing up as the National Italian Soccer
Team. On Friday night, members were entertained during an “Old Las Vegas Night” by a
Dean Martin look-a-like and Mr. Martin’s reallife daughter, Deana who received an award
during the convention as did football star,
Vince Ferragamo. Saturday was the night of the
annual Ball and installation of our new President André DiMino.
Dr. Anthony P. Vastola Award:
Paul Alongi, Bloomfield, NJ
UNICO’s highest award bestowed upon a
member of UNICO will be awarded this year
to Paul Alongi, who served as the National
President of UNICO in 1975, has been a member
of the Bloomfield, NJ Chapter of UNICO for over
50 years. Mr. Alongi has continued to serve the
National organization in numerous positions
throughout his tenure.
Dr Peter Pettinato, 1st Vice President Glenn Pettinato and Dean Martin Look-A-Like.
Vincent T. Lombardi Professional Athletics
Memorial Award:
Vince Ferragamo,
Formerly of the LA Rams, Ferragamo was the
only quarterback to take the Los Angeles Rams to
the Superbowl. Since retiring, he has remained
active with the Rams, doing the broadcast
for pre-season games and makes community
service appearances on their behalf.
Dr. D.M. Nigro Amateur Athletics Memorial
Award:
Joe Hathaway of Yale University, Football.
Now a Senior, Joe registered 31 tackles
(including a team-leading 13 TFL), 5 sacks, 1
forced fumble (FF), and 1 fumble recovered
(FR). Was named 2nd team All-Ivy. At nose
guard, Hathaway anchored a defense that gave
up the fewest points per game in all of PCS (DlAA) college football (10.5 PPG).
Outgoing PA II District Governor Chip Calabro,
Patricia Calabro, Thomas Gatto, Yvonne Gatto,
Terri Pettinato, First Vice President Glenn Pettinato,
Maggie Pettinato and Foundation Trustee Dr Peter
Pettinato.
Terri Pettinato and professional athlete award recipient Vince Ferragamo.
September 2009
Grand Order Filippo Mazzei Grand Patriot
Alan Krutchkoff
Alan is the founder of the Adopt a Soldier
Platoon. Born and raised in New Jersey, he
has lived an eclectic career. He was graduate
from Fairleigh Dickinson University, served in
the U.S. Air Force and traveled for six months
covering over 15,000 miles touring Europe and
the Middle East.
Joseph P. Cianci, ESQ. Humanitarian Award:
Joseph V. Scelsa
Professor Scelsa is an expert in the Italian
American experience and is the founder of the
Italian American Museum in New York City.
Terri Pettinato and 1st VP Glenn Pettinato.
(L-R) Dr Peter Pettinato, Maggie Pettinato, Glenn
Pettinato, Terri Pettinato, Chip Calabro, Pat Calabro, Tom Gatto and Yvonne Gatto.
UNICO National
Award winners
Three Pennsylvania VPs- (L-R) Third National VP
David Doninni who is now a member of West LA CA
but is formerly of Wilkes-Barre, First National VP
Glenn Pettinato and Executive VP Chris DiMattio.
ComUNICO
Basilone Freedom Award:
Marine Corps Jarrod DePasquale
Captain DePasquale served in Iraq as an attack
helicopter pilot. He is scheduled to be deployed
to Afghanistan in the near future. He is quick to
state that “I am not a hero. I am just doing a job
that many thousands have done.”
Antonio R. Rizzuto Award:
A.J. ‘Buddy’ Fortunato, Publisher of the Italian
Tribune Newspaper
Since 1933, this weekly publication covers
everything Italian. Today the Italian Tribune is
the largest Italian American newspaper in the
United States. Plans are currently underway for
a direct link from the newspaper to its readers
in the Republic of Italy.
Page 33
ATTENTION ALL UNICANS!
The NOVEMBER ComUNICO will be our Post-Columbus Issue
The final deadline to submit your Columbus Day photos is:
OCTOBER 14
Any photos received after October 14 will be held until the January issue.
Note: All regular news items for the
November issue need to be submitted no later than October 7.
Submissions should be e-mailed to [email protected],
uploaded to minutemanpressSD.com or mailed to:
Matt Risi
525 Metropolitan Dr.
Suite 303
San Diego, CA 92108
Any questions, call Editor Matt Risi
at 619-993-3913.
ATTENTION ALL UNICANS!
by Louis R. Carlozo
Tony and Susan Bennett are well acquainted with
life on the road.
NEWSMAKERS
by Mary Racila
Road trip!
by André DiMino
How do we learn? How do we remember
things? What is intelligence and how can it be
improved?
These and many other fundamental
questions about human “brain power” are
the subject of intricate and never-ending scientific research. Although neurological science has achieved many advances in understanding the cognitive power of the brain,
there is still an enormous amount left to be
discovered and understood. There are scores
of scientists involved in the biological neurosciences but there is one
multidisciplinary ItalianAmerican researcher who
is combining the study of
neuroscience with his
knowledge of physics,
mathematics and other
areas of science. Tomaso
A. Poggio, Ph.D., a computational neuroscientist, has been breaking
Dr. Tomaso A. Poggio uses math and
physics to help unlock the mysteries
of the brain.
new ground with his fundamental research and
discoveries into the brain and its functions.
Dr. Poggio has been conducting fundamental research into the brain and its intricacies for
nearly 40 years in both Europe and the United
States. He has affected our understanding of
many facets of the brain and the science of neurobiology through his many seminal theories
and research discoveries. In addition, his professional teachings have launched the careers of
many of his doctoral and master students in the
neurosciences.
Dr. Poggio has an impressive résumé, having held important posts in the world of neurological and brain research. Since 1984, he has
been professor of the Department of Brain &
Cognitive Sciences, Computer Science &
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the
McGovern Institute for Brain Research, as well
as the director of the Center for Biological and
Computational Learning at the venerable
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He start(See Science on Page 48)
ComUNICO
SCIENCE Do the math
SEPT
2009
When you tell a guy like Tony Bennett to hit the
road, he takes you literally. The 82-year-old, 15time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter
has been performing in front of live audiences for
more than half a century, and he’s showing no signs
of slowing down.
His current 33-week tour will crisscross the
country, head up to Canada and even travel to
South America. The tour features a Dec. 16 performance with the Count Basie Orchestra in NYC
and wraps up in 2010 with a Valentine’s Day performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Conn.
When you’re on the road a lot, like Bennett is,
you’re likely to attract the attention of a magazine
or two like Travel Girl. Tony and his wife Susan
graced the cover of TG’s summer edition under the
headline “In Perfect Harmony for a Cause.”
Bennett’s lifetime of service began in the Army
during World War II. He not only fought, but
became a hero when he liberated prisoners from
concentration camps. He never forgot his wartime
(See Newsmakers on Page 48)
FR A NOI — So what do you make of the
comparisons you get to David Gray, James
Taylor and John Mayer?
ALEXIS BABINI — As comparisons,
they’re all right. I get John Mayer a lot, too,
and I’m not too keen on that. I’d rather try to
do my own thing. As a singer/songwriter I
try to keep it honest. In pop music, you have
one big song with a hook, and it doesn’t
mean too much to the artists. It’s something
they sing because they hope people will like
it. But when I write, I’m really trying to
express myself, to say something meaningful.
FN — Your sound is very accessible and
easy on the ears. What’s the new record
going to be like?
AB — The last record,
“Breaking it in,” was sort of
acoustic based. I feel like the
next one is going to have a more
electrical feeling. I play guitar,
piano, bass, mandolin, banjo — I
wouldn’t say I’m just an acoustic
artist. I’d like to think that it
shows through in my work. …
We’re recording some songs in
my guitarist’s studio; we’re in the
demo stages right now. We just
released a new song a few weeks
ago called “My Direction.” There
are probably three more songs in
development, and another
record is on the way, I’d say by
late fall 2009.
FN — How has living in
Boston shaped your sound? It’s a
great music city, with artists such
as Boston, The Cars, Aerosmith
and Tracy Chapman getting their
start there.
AB — I think my music
connects with the younger college crowd, so that’s helpful. But
it’s strange because every four
years, the population changes.
Singer/songwriter Alexis Babini has made it to the brink of
But what’s great is that I can
stardom without the help of a major label, relying instead on
expand throughout the East
a tender tenor voice and highly personal songwriting.
(See Babini on Page 48)
The youthful, upbeat Alexis Babini falls
into the same pop-rock vein as David Gray,
Jack Johnson and John Mayer — with many
pointing out that Babini, like Mayer, cut his
teeth at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
Yet Babini, 23, is no imitator, and the
Connecticut native continues to build a following through relentless touring and an
approach that makes full use of his tender,
pure tenor and personal songwriting. If you
haven’t heard of him, stay tuned: Chances
are you will, as he’s already warmed up for
the likes of Blues Traveler and Boz Scaggs.
Fra Noi caught up with Babini amid his summer touring, even as he works on a follow-up
to his self released EP, “Breaking It In.”
35 AMERICA
LOU&A Breaking in
by Charles P. Pecoraro
SEPT
2009
ComUNICO
In almost every line of work, it’s not
he departed. The long list of budding
uncommon for a son to follow in his
stars he signed includes Frank
father’s footsteps. No exception is baseThomas, Justin Upton, Carlos
ball, where Phil and Mike Rizzo are trying
Quentin, Dan Uggla and Webb, who
to excise the Washington Nationals from
has won the esteemed Cy Young
their curse as the worst team in the
Award.
majors.
Mike Rizzo, who some contend
Dad Phil, 79, is a baseball lifer, a
bears a striking facial resemblance to
Nationals scout who for 31 years has
crooner/piano man Billy Joel, was
toiled in relative obscurity, crisscrossing
rewarded for his efforts with a protoll roads and back roads to unearth raw
motion to vice president, with added
young talent. He never wavers in his misresponsibilities for trades and freesion to discover diamonds in the rough.
agent acquisitions. Now he was only
Son Mike, 48, appointed the team’s
one step away from his dream job —
acting general manager in February, is
general manager.
working hard to prove that, after 27 years
In 2006, his ambition was
in baseball and an impressive record of
blocked when Arizona named Josh
mining such diamonds, he deserves to
Byrnes its new GM, brought in Peter
have the “acting” deleted from his title.
Woodfork as assistant and promoted
Phil Rizzo has done his often thank- The Washington Nationals are looking to battle their way out of the cellar on Bob Gebhard to special assistant.
less job by old-school rules. He never the talented shoulders of the father-son tandem of Phil and Mike Rizzo.
Rizzo interpreted the moves as no
takes a vacation, never wears jeans and
room for him at the top.
One of the hardest things Phil had to do was
never grows weary of the lonely life on the road.
Meanwhile, Washington was struggling on
Upon arriving in a one-horse town, he would check tell his son that, in his judgment, he wasn’t good
the field, in attendance and with its front office.
into a bargain-rate motel and ask the gas station enough to play in the majors. That happened at
To clean up the mess, president/partner Stan
the kitchen table, of all places, when Mike was 25
attendant to recommend a decent place to eat.
Kasten sought a proven executive and hired
“I started scouting long before the gimmicks,” and a minor leaguer. Mike, raised in Chicago and
Rizzo as assistant GM and vice president for
he said. “No stopwatches or radar guns. You just former resident of Rolling Meadows, accepted
baseball operations. Mike, also a finalist for the
trusted your eyes and instincts to determine if a kid his father’s opinion and finished his dinner and
Pirates’ GM opening, is highly regarded
has what it takes to reach the big-leagues. If he playing career at the same time that night.
throughout the league.
Until that conversation, Mike foresaw himmakes it, you’ve done a good job. If not, you’re a
When Nats GM Jim Bowden resigned over
self as Major League material. He had risen to
nobody.”
charges that he skimmed bonus money, an
Even though Washington got off to a dismal 1- Class AAA in the Angels’ organization, due mostimpropriety that resulted in an FBI investiga10 start this season, and was mired in last place in ly to his sure hands and productive bat. His
tion, Kasten replaced him with Rizzo. But the
the NL East as of late June, Phil was elated when his downside was lack of speed. From the moment
cautious owner insisted on the “acting” desighe was old enough, Phil would take him to the
son was appointed AGM. He said:
nation until Mike convinces him he’s worthy of
“I’m so happy for Mike because, with only 30 alley behind their home, draw 60-foot chalk lines
the position.
such positions, Major League GM jobs are hard to and have him run sprints. But the honest evaluThough Mike has day-to-day control of
come by. The Nationals aren’t bad offensively, but ation was that he was too slow for big-time baseoperations, he doesn’t have the final say on perneed to improve their pitching and defense. I hope ball.
sonnel. That decision belongs to Kasten, who
Mike switched from playing to coaching,
ownership gives him enough time to fix what’s
depends on Rizzo’s experience and input in
enrolling in the University of Illinois where he
wrong.”
scouting, drafting, signing and trading to make
Among the players Phil had a role in signing was an assistant baseball coach while earning a
the right calls.
are ace Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb, Dodgers bachelor’s degree in communications. Upon
Rizzo looks for players who are good citiinfielder Mark Loretta, and former big-leaguers graduation, he retraced his father’s career path,
zens on and off the field. He believes that clubMike Methany, Dick Schofield and Bob Wickman. taking scouting jobs with the White Sox, Red Sox
house chemistry is critical, and you need teamBefore the Nats, he scouted for the White Sox, and Diamondbacks.
mates who are compatible to build a winner. He
Arizona is where he made his mark as one of
Angels, Brewers and Diamondbacks.
singles out Adam Dunn, Willie Harris and
His biggest pet peeve is the amount of money baseball’s up-and-coming young executives. In
Austin Kearns as high-character guys.
paid these days to unproven kids. He said there are seven seasons as director of scouting, eight DGetting the Nationals out of the cellar and
a lot of youngsters with $1-million-plus contracts back players he helped cultivate were honored
into contention seems like an insurmountable
who aren’t even hitting .200 or have a winning with individual awards and/or All-Star status.
task to some baseball insiders. But the Rizzos —
During his tenure, authoritative Baseball
pitching record. The answer, he maintains, is to
Mike in the front office and Phil on the trail for
structure contracts based on performance, not America ranked Arizona’s minor league system
talent — are teaming up to make capital gains
from No. 29 when he arrived to No. 1 by the time
potential.
in Washington.
37 AMERICA
SPORTS Dynamic duo
by Otto Bruno
SEPT
2009
ComUNICO
a run scored. The overmatched Browns lost
How can you be an all-star outfielder, bat
four games to two to the cross-town rival St.
over .300 two times, have more lifetime walks
Louis Cardinals.
than strikeouts, and play in a World Series all in
Zarilla missed the entire 1945 season in
a relatively short 10 year baseball career, and
the service as World War II wound to a close.
still end up virtually unknown? Easy, play more
“I had been turned down four times previthan half of your career for the old St. Louis
ously,” Zarilla told a reporter, “but finally late
Browns. That’s just what Al Zarilla did.
in the war they took another look and
Al Zarilla began his big league career in
accepted me.”
1943 with the St. Louis Browns. The Browns
It took Zarilla a while to shake off the
were “the other St. Louis team” in the first half
rust once he returned from his war duty. The
of the 20th century. They were perpetually
1946 season was a disappointing one all
overshadowed by the better-known and more
around as the Browns finished seventh in
successful St. Louis Cardinals of the National
their eight-team division and Zarilla finished
League. In 1949 Zarilla was traded away to the
the season with a .259 average. The highlight
Boston Red Sox. In Boston, he shared Fenway
of Zarilla’s season came on July 13 when he
Park with the likes of Dom DiMaggio, Bobby
hit two triples in one inning in an 11-4 victoDoerr and Ted Williams. It’s hard to get noticed
ry over the Philadelphia Athletics. Only three
in a crowd like that. It seemed, no matter where
other players in the past 100 years have
Zarilla went or what he did, stardom was not
matched the feat.
meant to be his. One baseball magazine of the
The 1947 campaign was even worse than
1950s called him the “Most Under-rated Player
the previous year as his average dropped to
in the Majors.”
.224 for the season. It was the low point in Al
Allen Lee Zarilla was born on May 1, 1919,
Zarilla’s career.
in Los Angeles, to an Italian father and an Irish
For most of his time in the big leagues,
mother. According to a 1948 Baseball Digest
Zarilla was known to be a “streak hitter.” He
profile by Donald Drees, he was “nicknamed
could go on a tear for 10 games hitting at a
Zeke because of his West Coast heritage and his
.450 clip and then turn cold and not be able
bowlegs that look like a horse just galloped
to buy a hit, going hitless for 20 or 30 at bats.
through …” When still in high school in Los
Angeles, Al was spotted at a tryout camp by the Al Zarilla might have emerged as one of the legends of base- Everybody knew this about Zarilla, including
opposing pitchers. Armed with that knowlChicago Cubs. He was assigned to play with ball had he not played for the lowly St. Louis Browns.
edge, they could make it that more difficult
one of their teams on Catalina Island but broke
for him to break out of a slump.
his ankle sliding into a base and the Cubs lost the first 25 games, he was moved up to A ball,
There was a nervous energy that defined Al
interest. After his ankle healed, Jack Fournier, a playing with San Antonio of the Texas League. He
Zarilla. He was always moving, running, joking
scout for the St. Louis Browns, spotted him and finished the ’41 season with a respectable .278
with teammates. He couldn’t sit still. His critics
sent him to San Antonio, Texas. There were five average but he struggled in 1942 with a .211 clip.
mistakenly took this to mean he had a less than
Brownie farm teams in training and all of them The Texas League was known to be a pitcher’s
serious attitude toward his job. This was not
passed on Zarilla.
league especially tough on left-handed hitters
true. He spent much of the latter half of the 1947
The Browns were going to release Zarilla because, for whatever reason, nearly all stadiums
season trying to figure out how to regain his sucwhen Fournier interceded and sent a telegram to in the league had the wind blowing in from right
cess at the plate.
Elmer Kerchoff, manager of a D level team in field.
One of his coaches during that 1947 season
Batesville, Ark. According to the article in
Nevertheless, despite his poor showing in
was Earle Combs, a member of the famed
Baseball Digest, Fournier wrote, “I’m sending you 1942, he was moved up to Toledo at the start of
Murderer’s Row of the 1927 New York Yankees
a player who will hit .325 or I’ll buy you a new the 1943 campaign. He lasted only 57 games in
and eventual Hall-of-Famer with a lifetime .325
suit.”
Toledo. He was tearing up the American
average. Combs told Zarilla to “quit trying for
Instead of .325, Zarilla hit .329 and he was off Association with a .373 clip when the Browns
the long ball. Just get on base; let the bigger,
to the races. He then went to the Lafayette White called him up to St. Louis. He finished the rest of
more natural long-ball sluggers power you
Sox, another D level team but this one in the the 1943 season with the Browns and hit .254 as a
around the bases.”
Evangeline League. There he hit .291 and moved 24-year-old rookie.
One of Zarilla’s best friends during the offup to a C level team in Helena, Ark., where he tore
Zarilla played in 100 games in 1944 and batseason was Pirate slugger Ralph Kiner. He
up the league with a .349 average. In both ted .299 — one more hit and he’d have hit .300 in
noticed that Zarilla had a very quick swing,
Lafayette and Helena, Zarilla became known for his first full major league season. Regardless, his
which is usually a benefit to a hitter. However,
hitting triples, 17 and 19 respectively in 1939 and hustle and hitting propelled the St. Louis Browns
Kiner suggested to Zarilla that he try a heavier
1940.
to their first, and only, pennant in the history of
bat, suggesting that his swing was “almost too
He started off the 1941 season at B level ball the franchise but Zarilla had a disappointing
in Springfield, Ill. However, after hitting .326 in series hitting only .100 (1 for 10) with an RBI and
(See Legends on Page 48)
39 AMERICA
LEGENDS Great player, lousy team
40
AMERICA
SEPT
2009
ComUNICO
LIBRI Idiosyncratic sojourn
by Judith Anne Testa
You might expect a memoir by a woman
traveling to and around Italy by car with her husband and two young children to be a cozy
domestic chronicle of family adventures, but
“The Last Supper” is anything but cozy or
domestic. The unnamed children and anonymous husband rarely appear; the book is about
the author and her personal encounter with Italy.
Cusk aspires to something well beyond the usual
travel journal prose, and although her writing is
at times brilliant and offers striking insights and
observations without a cliché in sight, at other
times the prose seems forced — overly sensitive,
snobbish and pretentious.
The family’s Italian journey begins in the
dreary British industrial city of Bristol, from
which Cusk yearns to escape. So she and her husband decide on three months in Italy, with their
return left indefinite. They make the trip by car,
driving onto a ferry to cross the English Channel
and then motoring through France to Italy. Along
the way, Cusk muses about the oddest things. On
the trip across the Channel she considers Italian
verbs, as yet unspoken by her, as “a form of
trousseau, a virgin’s drawerful of unblemished
linen.” In France, the family’s every overnight is a
piece of theater, with surrealistically strange
lodgings presided over by eccentric French hosts.
Whatever happened to plain old B&Bs? When the
family goes swimming at Cap Ferrat, they’re
observed by elderly female sunbathers “with
brown wrinkled hands glittering with rings …
thin as lizards, with creased skins the color of
tobacco,” as fine a description as I’ve ever read of
the consequences of excessive sun exposure.
Once in Italy, they meander down the penin-
sula to the house they’ve rented in the countryside
near Arezzo. From there they make forays into
town, allowing Cusk to muse over the paintings by
Piero della Francesca in the church of S. Francesco.
On another day they make a trip to Assisi.
Reflecting on the pilgrims who come to Assisi to
venerate the bones of St. Francis, Cusk observes:
“The mania for the tangible is the predictable consequence of the intangibility of religious belief,
though it has always bewildered me that it should
be among the relics of the actual that the missing
“The Last Supper. A Summer in Italy”
by Rachel Cusk
■ Cost: $25, hardcover
■ ISBN: 10-0374184038
■ Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
link between faith and reality is sought.” Um,
what was that again? Sometimes the author
sounds like a pompous academic.
On the other hand, Cusk can offer wonderful
observations, such as her fresh and delightful
description of pizza as “all around the world …
the deepest form of security known to the human
palate. It is like a smiling face: it assuages the fear
of complexity by showing everything on its surface.” And she sends up her fellow English people
for their exaggerated reverence toward Italian
food: their “belief that making fresh pasta is
equivalent to building your own rocket and flying
it to Mars.”
The family travels to Florence, where a visit to
the Uffizi allows Cusk to offer more of her idiosyncratic observations about art. Raphael’s SelfPortrait, which I think of as an expression of the
artist’s sensual, confident nature, affects Cusk differently; she sees “a frail, wistful-looking youth …
faintly ascetic, even depressive … a portrait of
Raphael’s captive ego.” She decides that the cardinal on the right, standing behind Leo X in
Raphael’s portrait of that pope, is the artist’s selfportrait, although in fact it’s the pope’s cousin,
Luigi de’ Rossi. She also says Raphael died of
syphilis — no idea where she came up with THAT
claim. As the family goes farther south — to
Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano —
things get worse. The heat is stifling, the crowds
terrible, and Cusk makes withering comments
about tourists. What does she think SHE is? Her
English snobbery is never more obvious. But
despite its flaws, Cusk’s book offers an unusual
view of Italy through the eyes of an observant and
talented writer.
by Fred L. Gardaphe
ing a song: “As a child I had lived inside my own life
with whatever I had found there, so I never imagined life as separate from my family, but now I saw
and heard something new, something greater than
my small life, something that had been created.”
Joseph discovers the power that comes from creat-
by Gioia Timpanelli
■ Cost: $19.95, hardcover
■ ISBN: 978-0-393-06702-6
■ Publisher: www.wwnorton.com
ComUNICO
“What Makes a Child Lucky”
ing and it leads him to live a life against destruction and for art. He finds that his stories have
power that he never could have imagined; they
can make him visible or invisible, and through
the strange experiences, mediated by
Immaculata, the woman who cooks for the bandits, he learns how to prepare meals with what
he finds around himself and how to live in the
balance of good and evil.
It’s not just Immaculata’s words that teach
Joseph how to handle things; it’s sometimes just
the way she looks at him, as when he leaves her
to live with the bandits. As he turns to wave
goodbye, he sees that her first look is one of
indifference, “Then her face changed, and without hesitation she looked right into my eyes with
the most compassionate, the most compassionate look I have ever seen in my life. … Before this
moment, I had only understood that word ‘compassion’ in terms of deeds and actions. Deeds
and actions I understood; but a ‘look’ that could
change you?”
Creativity and compassion are just a few of
the lessons learned by Joseph in this tale of
adventure and maturity. Timpanelli adapts her
verbal art to meet the needs of the page and
rewards the eye with rich imagery and the soul
with strong sentiment. Often what she writes is
pure music, and the songs she creates invite us
to sing along. She maintains a sense of presence
that is key to the oral tradition, and is able to
meet the demands of the written word. This
master storyteller has concocted a strange brew
out of familiar ingredients. “What Makes a Child
Lucky” deserves a place on every family’s bookshelf. Brava, Maestra Timpanelli!
SEPT
2009
Gioia Timpanelli might be called the “Dean
of American Storytelling,” but I like to think of
her as the commare of the word. Like a wise
friend, her stories and writings counsel as they
console, invigorate as they entertain, and unite
us all with narrative threads that bind us to
ancient truths. Like a midwife, her labor with
words assists in the birth of new thinking about
old things.
Timpanelli has won many awards for her
storytelling in television and literature. Her last
novel, “Sometimes the Soul: Two Novellas of
Sicily,” won a 1999 American Book Award. Her
new novel, “What Makes a Child Lucky,” brings
us to her beloved Sicily, origins of much of her
art, and many of the great stories of Western civilization. Based on a Sicilian folktale of a boy
who is sent by his brothers to steal an ogre’s
treasure, “What Makes a Child Lucky” takes off
from this familiar tale and moves in new and
interesting directions that renew the story for
today’s world.
It doesn’t take a village to raise a child if
you’ve got one good godmother, and that’s what
13-year old Joseph finds after he is betrayed by
jealous brothers who send him to the mayor’s
office one day. The mayor forces him on an
errand into the hills to deal with some the very
bandits who killed Joseph’s best friend, Pasquale
the wine carrier. Joseph knows his terrain well
from finding food for his mother’s cooking, but
he has no idea what he’s about to encounter
when he meets an ancient woman and the bandits she cares for.
Joseph’s experiences away from home are
clarified one day as he listens to a shepherd pip-
41 AMERICA
LIBRI Master storyteller
by Jeannine Guilyard
To weather the rainy days ahead, America needs to
move from a narrow Work Ethic to a more encompassing Life Ethic.
IO VAGABONDA
by Terri Maxfield
A new umbrella
(See Io Vagabonda on Page 49)
communicated through her dark penetrating
eyes and her passionate performances. I
recently spoke with Donatella Finocchiaro at
the Open Roads Film
Festival at Lincoln Center
in New York City. She was
at the festival promoting
her latest film, “Brave
Men.” In it, she takes on
the complicated role of
Lucia, a woman who
heads a crime organization in the south of Italy. I
really enjoyed talking with
Donatella. She was very
articulate,
and
you can tell that
she loves her
work. She glows
when she talks
about her characters and the directors she’s worked
with. She has the
same
intensity
and sincerity off
camera that she
does on camera.
As you’ll read, Donatella didn’t
plan on becoming a professional
actress. In fact, she originally
chose a very different career
path.
Fr a N oi — When did you
start acting?
Donatella Finocchiaro — I
started to act later in life. In college, I studied law and actually
became a lawyer. After I graduated college, I went to school for
one year in Catania where I studied theater. After I took that one
course, I started to get lead roles
in plays that I auditioned for. I
Donatella Finocchiaro is drawn to the complexity and contradictions of women in the underworld. (Photos courtesy of just took the acting course for a
Filmitalia.)
(See Cinema on Page 49)
SEPT
2009
Through the double pane glass of the window I
watched the rain fall hard on the concrete sculpture
of Washington, D.C. The bus was noisy and full of
wet people that got caught out in the sudden, surprise deluge. Their mood was positive, however, as
the past few days had been unbearably hot, and this
downpour was a delicious diversion from sweating
and grumpiness. I, too, felt a certain contentment
at this unexpected break in the weather. My
umpteenth trip to the Martin Luther King Memorial
Library had been accomplished and my umpteenth
résumé had been dropped at their Office of Human
Resources. The rain was free to drench me all it
wanted to, without me worrying about black makeup running down my cheeks or my hair going so
wild that I resemble some weird creature created in
a lab, a female hybrid of Alice Cooper and Robert
Smith. Which I’m sure was just how I appeared to
anyone that might have taken a peek at me in that
moment, but I knew I’d be home soon, I could clean
up quickly and my quest could continue online. It
Donatella began her acting career in
theater but quickly moved to the big
screen. Her first movie role was in the 2002
drama “Angela,” in
which she plays the
title role, a wife
who gets involved
with her husband’s
dangerous and illegal business of selling drugs. Although
many of Donatella’s
characters
have
some involvement
with
organized
crime, a stereotype that has
been tirelessly overplayed, she
is able to portray the human
side of it, the way that this life
and its stereotypes destroy
families and dreams. She is
often cast in these parts
because the intensity of her
acting has such a huge impact
on audiences and the overall
effect of the movie. Her characters hurt, and that pain is
43 ITALIA
CINEMA Criminal intent
ANCIENT ROME 100 years of revolution
Between the republic and empire, Rome descended
into a century of chaos and carnage.
Picture this: Instead of the orderly nomination and election process that put Obama
in the White House, McCain and Obama each
park fully armed militia on the doorstep of
Congress. After a bloody battle in the streets
of Washington, Obama emerges the victor
and demands he be made president. Forget
voting! Uncooperative Republicans … kill
them!
Annoying laws … gone! Term limits … no
such thing! If you can envision this, you have
an idea of what the Roman Revolution looked
like. Unlike other revolutions in history, it
took 102 years from 133 to 31 B.C. for ancient
Rome to tear its republican form of government to shreds and transition into an empire
where once again, monarchs ruled. It was a
time filled with political intrigue, civil wars,
and mind-blowing carnage. Ambitious generals like Caesar and Pompey would emerge
and leave deep footprints on history’s path.
During this time, most of Italy’s population was impoverished and landless as small
landowners were displaced by Rome’s wealthy
faction who snatched up land and used the
enormous pool of slaves made available with
continual warfare to run large estates called
latifundias. Since soldiers had to be citizen
landowners to qualify for the military, the
displaced small farmer was no longer eligible
to serve, nor did he and his family have a
place to live. This situation not only weakened the army, but it also led to a flood of
humanity descending on the city of Rome
demanding a living from the state. Slaves,
soldiers, fortune hunters, unemployed farmers and war veterans flooded the city’s
increasingly unsafe, crowded streets.
The stage was set for a more democratic
form of government that appealed to the
proletariat. Two factions representing different ideals emerged: The populares attracted
the masses represented by the plebs, and the
optimates embraced the conservative rule of
the aristocrats and Senate. Battle lines were
drawn.
Though it took decades for the Republic
(See Ancient Rome on Page 49)
ComUNICO
by Lucyann Murray
VIAGGIO The Rome below Rome
by Judith Anne Testa
Eve rything in Rome has something
level, you’re 30 feet below the modern
buried under it, so there’s a lot more to Roma
street level. The church’s good-natured
sotterranea than just the catacombs. The subIrish Dominicans charge a modest
soil of the Eternal City harbors innumerable
admission fee to visit their sotterranei,
sites covering an astonishing range of ancient
which are for the most part well-lit and
Roman life, from imperial palaces to house
provided with enough signage that
churches to public latrines. And those are just
nobody ever gets lost down there.
the ones we know about. Thousands of othPhotography is forbidden, but you can
ers remain undiscove red, lost fore ve r
find excellent postcards of the underbeneath the modern city. Roma in romae
ground areas at the gift shop.
sepulta — Rome buried in Rome — is particMany other Roman churches have
ularly appealing in hot weather, as it’s rather
underg round sites that are sometimes
like a wine cellar — the same relatively chilly
open to the public, among them S. Cecilia
temperature all year around.
in Trastevere, built over an early Christian
The best known of all Rome’s subterhouse church and, according to legend,
ranean church sites is the necropolis beneath
over the bathhouse where Roman authorThere’s much more to Rome than can be seen from the street.
St. Peter’s. This city of the dead (not to be
ities tried to steam St. Cecilia to death. S.
(Pictured: The Mithraeum under the church of S. Clemente.)
confused with the grottoes containing the
Crisogono, across Viale di Trastevere from
tombs of later popes) is the original cemetery tomb were declared by Pope Pius XII to be those of
S. Cecilia, has the remains of the original fifthwhere, according to church tradition, the body of St. Peter. You can visit the necropolis under St.
century church under the present structure.
Peter was buried after his upside-down crucifix- Peter’s by applying in person to the Ufficio Scavi, an
The 11th-century church of S. Nicola in
ion in the nearby Circus of Nero. There is indeed a office located past the pair of Swiss Guards standCarcere, at the foot of the Capitoline Hill,
grave site there, reputed to be Peter’s, surrounded ing by the Arco della Campana, on the left side of
occupies the site of three little pagan temples
by other, smaller tombs that crowd around it, as if the façade of St. Peter’s. Tours are offered several
whose foundations can sometimes be visited
to be as close as possible to the martyred saint’s times daily, except Sundays.
in the company of an Italian guide.
revered bones.
Most of Rome’s ancient churches have sotterAncient churches are, of course, far from
But the original basilica of St. Peter’s, conranei and many of them can be visited. An extenthe only subterranean sites available to visistructed in the early 300s, covered the saint’s grave sive and unusual one lies below the church of SS
tors in Rome. The remains of Imperial Rome
so thoroughly that its location was forgotten. It Giovanni e Paolo, located on a quiet piazza not far
form a much larger proportion of the undercame to light briefly in the 1600s, during work on from the Colosseum. The present church, dating
ground city. By far the largest buried site is a
the present church, but nobody was sure what from the 11th and 12th centuries, occupies a site
part of the gigantic Domus Au rea — the
was down there, other than a lot of creepy graves, above the ruins of a house that belonged to two
Golden House of Nero, a surre a l i s t i c a l l y
and so the nervous workmen quickly covered the Christian martyrs, John and Paul, put to death
extravagant palace built for that half-mad
site again. It wasn’t re-excavated until the mid- between 361 and 363 by the last pagan emperor,
emperor in the mid-first century A.D. and
20th century, when the bones found in the central Julian the Apostate. A century later several Roman
later demolished by the emperors Vespasian
buildings were incorporated into a shrine dedicatand Trajan. Vespasian drained Nero’s artificial
ed to the two martyrs. Excavations begun in the
lake and used the site to build the Colosseum,
early 20th century re vealed that those Roman
while Trajan buried what was left of Nero’s
structures formed a lavish complex that included
palace and had a huge bath complex erected
its own baths, a library and a wine cellar. Many of
above it. Although the Baths of Trajan have
the rooms still preserve their painted decorations,
never been excavated — their ruins are scatboth Christian and pagan. The church offers regutered across a shabby park on the Oppian Hill
lar guided tours of the site, conducted in Italian by
— an accidental discovery in the 1490s led
knowledgeable guides.
early adventurers to explore the still-intact
The only sotterranei I know of where you can
rooms of Nero’s palace that Trajan’s architect
wander around on your own is also among the
had filled with rubble and used as the foundalargest: the three levels beneath the church of S.
tions for the baths. Those rooms have now
Clemente. You descend via a broad, modern stairbeen exc a vated and re s t o red, and va rious
case from the beautiful 12th-century church into
groups offer regular guided tours; reservathe shadowy, damp remains of a fifth-century
tions must be made in advance.
church that itself was built over an earlier Roman
Another category of sotterranei are the
house which in turn had been built over an even
dozen or so Mithraea scattered around Rome.
The largest buried site in Rome is a part of the gigantic earlier house from the era of the Roman Republic
These are rooms dedicated to worship of the
Domus Aurea — the Golden House of Nero.
(first century B.C.). When you reach the lowest
(See Viaggio on Page 50)
1-800-617-8123
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tel. (718) 452-4451
Sam Mendolia, Prop.
FIRE DAMAGE REPAIR
FURNITURE TOPS
PLEXIGLAS
SKYLIGHTS
WINDOWS
MIRRORS
PLATES
SASHES
Glass of Every Description
245 WILSON AVENUE • BROOKLYN, NY 11237
(Corner of Myrtle Avenue)
Gift and Gourmet
Baskets
JOSEPH CERULLO
Villani Bus Company
Est. 1920
811 East Linden Avenue
Linden, NJ 07036
ICAP
Since 1997
DELIVERY
“Just Print it …
We’ll Deliver it!”
Fleet of 24 ft. Trucks & Cargo Vans
175 N. Cedar Street
Hazleton, PA 18201
TEL: 570.450.6556
CELL:
570.579.4179
www.cerulloscc.com
Joseph Paci, Owner
Dee Villani
Pr esident
Phone: 908-862-3333
Fax : 9 0 8 - 4 7 4 - 8 0 58
Warehouse & Offices:
435 E. Main Street, Denville, NJ 07834
Phone: 973-659-3336 x202 • Fax 973-659-1166
E-mail: [email protected]
“WE SOLVE YOUR TAX PROBLEMS”
Support
UNICO FOUNDATION’S
21st Century Campaign
Send your pledge in today!
The TaxADVOCATE
GROUP
Salvatore P. Candela, EA, RFC, ABA, ATA
Tax Specialist
$300 over 3 years for individuals
$3,000 over 3 years for chapters
Call the National Office for a pledge form:
973-808-0035
Graphics One inc.
new and used machinery for the printing industry
appraisals • liquidations • mergers
Robert L. Donatelli
President
65 N. Plains Industrial Rd., Ste. 8 • Wallingford, CT 06492
(203) 269-6317
271 US HIGHWAY 46 WEST
SUITE A-108
FAIRFIELD NJ 07004
Visit us today at:
WWW.UNICO.ORG
JOSEPH J. SERAFINI
— ATTORNEY
AT
LAW —
SERAFINI & SERAFINI
A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
269 Hamburg Turnpike
P.O. Box 2040
Wayne, New Jersey 07474-2040
Phone:
(973) 595-9500
Fax:
(973) 595-7442
Tax Preparation & Representation
75-16 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village, NY 11379
Phone: 877.TAX.1040
Fax: 718.894.4476
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.e-taxadvocate.com
LOUIS J. SERAFINI
— ATTORNEY
AT
LAW —
SERAFINI & SERAFINI
A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
269 Hamburg Turnpike
P.O. Box 2040
Wayne, New Jersey 07474-2040
Phone:
Fax: (203) 294-1036
www.graphicsoneinc.com • [email protected]
UNICO NATIONAL
Member
NJPA
(973) 595-9500
Fax:
(973) 595-7442
by Charles P. Pecoraro
Cut chicken into chunks and dip in flour.
Put vegetable oil in frying pan, add chicken and
fry until golden brown. Discard oil. Add wine, let
it evaporate, then add butter, salt, pepper,
oregano, peppers, mushrooms, olives and
onion. Add chicken broth, cook for about 4 minutes. Add marinara sauce, cook for 5 more minutes. Serves 4.
The name may be Prussian, but under the stewardship of the Mondavi family, the Charles Krug
Winery has emerged as an Italian-American success story.
ANTIPASTI A lasting summer
by Chef Michael Ponzio
The best time of the year is upon us. Fruits
and vegetables are at their sweetest and most
delicious and farmers markets are
everywhere. The only sad
thought is the thought of the
long winter months to come.
How can we as cooks take the
beauty of summer and enjoy it all
year round? One word … preservation.
Preserving food products is a
long-practiced method used by both
home and professional cooks. You
may have heard of it as pickling, canning or jarring, but the process is the
same. The key to good preserving is
all in the ingredients.
Find yourself the best vegetables
you can. My preference is the fine
produce of the Michigan farmers at
local markets, but a good grocery store can
have some beautiful produce as well.
Once you have the vegetables, all
you need is a mason jar, vinegar,
sugar, spices and a pot of water.
Let’s use asparagus as an example.
In a large pot, boil two gallons
of clean water. Place a second pot
on the stove with 3 cups of white
wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of
sugar, a pinch of salt, one tablespoon of pickling spice (available in
most grocery stores), and one cup of
water. Bring the mixture to a boil.
While the vinegar mixture is coming
to a boil, cut the bottom parts of the
asparagus off and pack them tightly
in a clean, 1 liter mason jar. Strain
the boiling vinegar into the jar,
(See Antipasti on Page 50)
ComUNICO
1 pound chicken breast
2 green peppers, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
16 dry black olives
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 ounces red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
12 ounces marinara sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
Salt, pepper, oregano to taste
To ensure they benefited from the past
reputation, they kept the Charles Krug name,
and it has remained so ever since. In 1965,
Robert left to found his own winery, but
brother Peter stayed to raise the stakes — and
the quality — of Charles Krug Winery.
Over the years, Peter is credited with
introducing a number of innovations in Napa
Valley winemaking. He brought vintage dating for varietal wines, cold
fermentation for white
wines, cold sterile filtration, and fermentation in
small French oak barrels.
Decades later the verdict is in: Peter’s efforts,
and the efforts of his sons
Peter Jr. and Marc, have
established Charles Krug
Winery as a leader in
American wine.
Marc studied viticulture and enology at the
University of California
(Davis) and marketing at California State
University (Sacramento) — He returned to
the family business in 1978, after completing
his studies.
Peter Jr. studied engineering at Stanford,
earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s
degree in the field. He later added an MBA to
his credits, then brought his education and
skills back to Charles Krug. While he’s
involved in the winemaking process, his
focus is on the large investment program at
the winery.
Although the wines have been good
(See In Vino Veritas on Page 50)
SEPT
2009
Pollo Cacciatore
Charles Krug doesn’t sound the least bit
Italian. But were it not for one of America’s
most famous Italian winemaking families, it
might have slipped into oblivion.
Originally named after its founder, a
Prussian, Charles Krug Winery opened its
doors in 1861. Placed along a trade route in
St. Helena, the winery enjoyed the still-growing demand for wine among the population
boom that came to
California after the gold
rush.
Krug held the property until 1892, adding
the Redwood Cellar in
1880
and
Carriage
House in 1881, which
are still standing and
listed as federal historic
landmarks.
In 1894, James
Moffitt took control of
the winery, retaining its
then-established name.
Under Moffitt’s stewardship were some lapses in the production stream — particularly
during Prohibition — and the winery did not
maintain the reputation known under Krug.
In 1943, after Prohibition had been put
aside, the young Mondavi boys sensed an
opportunity. The patriarch of the Mondavi
family, Cesare, had moved his family to
California from Minnesota and practiced
winemaking at various locations over the
years. His sons, Robert and Peter, convinced
their father that this venerable winery would
give them the roots they needed to build a
profitable business in wine.
They bought it from Moffitt
for $75,000.
CUCINA
Walking into Sapori d’Italia in Fountain
Hills, Ariz., can make the same first impression
as taking an 8,000-mile step into someone’s
home in Sicily.
Atmosphere at the rustic ristorante-pizzeria
— murals of Italian scenes, heavy wooden
tables, woven-seat chairs, lamps hanging from
the ceiling — looks and feels like what you might
expect in a typical Sicilian household. Even
more convincing, however, is the food.
Here’s where Lorenzo Panepinto comes in.
He’s the chef and co-owner of the 9-month-old
venture whose responsibility it is to recreate the
dishes and flavors synonymous with southern
Italy in central Arizona.
Panepinto, partner with his wife Cosimo
and long-time friends Gaspare and Maria
Manno, also owns another pizzeria in nearby
Scottsdale. He previously had a similar eatery on
the Arizona State University campus in Tempe,
and before that on Long Island, N.Y.
Both families, whose sons and daughters
work at the restaurant in various capacities,
have roots traced to Sicily. Their heritage is
reflected in the Sicilian symbol trinacria used on
the menu, signs and other material.
At Sapori (480-816-9535), Panepinto makes
his own mozzarella, used in pizza, pasta and
other preparations. Maria Manno is the baker
whose specialties include cheesecake, tiramisù,
cannoli and pignolata cookies.
The chef is a stickler for freshness and topnotch ingredients. Flour is imported from Italy,
as are olives, spices, cheeses and olive oil.
“Ingredients can make or break any dish,” he
said. “The products I use make a big difference
in quality and taste.”
“Whatever Lorenzo feels like making when
he arrives in the morning is what shows up on
the blackboard that day,” said Cosimo. “For
instance, if we hear him pounding veal in the
kitchen, we know that a veal dish will be one of
the dinner specials.”
Panepinto’s signatures include pollo cacciatore, or hunter’s style chicken laced with wine.
His recipe:
by Dick Rosano
LA VERA
Arizona’s Panepinto
shares his recipe for
Pollo Cacciatore
What’s in a name?
47
CHEF’S CHOICE IN VINO VERITAS
48
THERE TO
HERE
BABINI
(Continued from Page 35)
Coast; I’ve played New York City a few times,
and I’ve been playing some theaters in
Connecticut, which is awesome because
that’s where I grew up.
FN — Has there been any major label
interest? How do you feel about that system
given the state of the music industry?
AB — They’re interested, but nothing’s for
sure yet. But labels today are definitely overrated; the whole system is breaking down. It’s
not what it used to be. A lot of artists want to
do it by themselves. I’m working with my
own publicist, my own college booking agent
and my own publisher — so just that makes
a statement. But I also have friends who’ve
been signed to a label, and they’ve gone from
playing small clubs to festivals in front of
large crowds. And a lot of times, you need a
label to do that. … I’ve been writing and traveling for almost four years now. I know what
songs get through people. I’ve done the market research, and I think that’s something a
label could take advantage of.
FN — What is your songwriting process
like?
AB — I’m constantly writing songs. It’s not
so much finding time to write as just sitting
down to get all my ideas. Even before I sit
down with the instruments, I have an idea of
the song in the head. If there’s a melody I’m
trying to write down, I keep a lot of rough
demos. I send voice mails to myself — I don’t
want to forget what the words are or the
melody is going to be. Though I do get a couple of weird looks from people when they see
me singing into a phone. (Laughs.)
FN — Did growing up in an ItalianAmerican family have any impact on your
musical upbringing?
AB — I’ve always wanted to go to Italy and
be inspired by all of that. I have family there;
I didn’t know this until recently, but I have a
lot of cousins there and I’ve always thought
about going, maybe this year. There are a
million things that have influenced the
music, especially the household I grew up in.
I’m Italian on my father’s side, and he’s big
into classical guitar music, so that was a big
influence on me. He also had his Frank
Sinatra records, and I got into those later in
life. I love him.
FN — So are you content for now? Or
eager to climb that next rung on the music
business ladder?
AB — I can never say I’m fine where I am:
I have to keep moving. I just got a college
booking agent, and I playing love colleges, so
I’m going to keep doing that. One of my big
goals for 2009 is to get my songs into TV and
film. Finding the perfect match for a label or
a management company might be the next
baby step for me on this set of stairs. And I’d
love to do more opening slots for the artists I
really love. That’s one of my goals. I have a lot
of goals.
To sample the music of Alexis Babini, visit
myspace.com/alexisbabini.
SEPT
2009
ComUNICO
mathematics and physics. These were foundational to his desire to understand how the
brain worked.
“As a kid I was fascinated by the problem
of intelligence. What made Einstein such a
genius? I wanted to know what is intelligence, how to increase it and how to build
intelligent machines,” Dr. Poggio commented in a 2004 interview in Current Biology. His
1970 doctoral thesis, “On Holographic
Models of Memory,” was a combination of
biophysical and mathematical models
applied to how we remember. This multidisciplinary approach to a neurological issue
led to his acceptance at the Planck Institute
as a research assistant.
While at the Planck Institute, Dr. Poggio
expanded his research horizons through the
application of theoretical mathematics to
various brain functions. He did so by applying empirical experiments to models and
theories to ensure that what was theorized
can have practical proof through experimentation. After 10 years in Germany, he
was offered a position at MIT in the United
States, which he quickly accepted. For the
past 28 years, he has been a fixture in academia and research at MIT.
Dr. Poggio is a prolific author, with many
books and hundreds of peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. He has also been a
contributor to many textbooks and reviews
in the neurosciences and related areas. He is
a sought-after lecturer and speaker worldwide and has numerous memberships and
honorary degrees from institutions and universities around the globe.
Perhaps his most renowned works are
related to the use of specialized mathematical computations in the fields of computer
vision and bioinformatics, the application of
information technology to the field of
molecular biology. In addition, his research
into vision led to seminal contributions in
stereopsis, which is the ability of the brain to
determine depth based on the geometrical
parameters of the two images intersecting
between the eyes.
Dr. Poggio has received hundreds of
awards and recognitions, with his most
recent recognition as Distinguished Lecturer
coming from the National Science
Foundation in Washington, D.C., on April 24,
2009. Last year, he was the Distinguished
Speaker at the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency’s information processing
techniques conference. In addition, he
serves on numerous editorial boards and
advisory groups covering a wide array of scientific disciplines from the neurosciences to
mathematics to computer technology.
When asked why the process of learning
is the focus of his research, Dr. Poggio commented, “It is our ability to learn what preserves our individual freedom and our
human dignity, and can effectively save each
one of us from the imperialism of the genes.
My specific interest in the scientific aspects
of learning is mirrored in my broader belief
that research and education are the key
engine of evolution for our culture and society.”
Science may never entirely figure out
how our brains work, but Dr. Tomaso Poggio,
an
Italian-American
scientist
and
researcher, is dedicating his life to unlocking
its secrets.
ed his career at MIT, serving as associate professor in the Department of Psychology and
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory from 1981
to 1984. These prestigious positions in the
United States came as the result of his work
from 1971 to 1981 at the world-renowned
Max Planck Institute for Biological
Cybernetics in Germany. He earned a Ph.D.,
graduating summa cum laude, in theoretical
physics from the University of Genoa, Italy,
in 1970.
Tomaso Poggio was born on Sept. 11,
1947, in Italy, and from an early age had a fascination with the science of the brain. He was
particularly intrigued by the problem of
intelligence and how to affect or increase it.
His initial studies led him to the area of
THE FELLAS FROM PHILLY
(Continued from Page 35)
What would summer be without “Beach
Blanket Bingo,” “Muscle Beach Party” or
Frankie Avalon? A native son of
Philadelphia, Francis Thomas Avallone has
been entertaining us since he was 12. He
was recently catapulted back into the spotlight when he performed live on “American
Idol” in April. Fifty years later and Avalon
can still make the girls blush when he sings
“Venus.” Debuting in 1959, “Venus” was the
No. 1 hit on the “Billboard Hot 100” for
more than five weeks.
Topping the charts again and keeping
him forever young, Entertainment Weekly
ranked him No. 2 as one of “The Top 17
Hottest Teen Idols” in history.
A man with a good work ethic and passion for entertaining, Avalon is on the road
six months out of the year touring with the
Golden Boys. His tour kicked off in July and
will wrap with a New Year’s Eve performance in Las Vegas.
For the remaining six months of the
year, he spends countless hours as the
national ambassador for the National
Arthritis Foundation, annually hosts the
Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon and runs
his own company — Frankie Avalon Venus
Ltd.
In addition to music, movies and memorabilia, Avalon’s company carries his
patented line of self-tanning spray called
“Twilight Tan” and a topical homeopathic
pain medication called “Zero Pain.”
Avalon has eight children.
education and admits it helped mold the
man he is today.
A fierce opponent of bigotry in any form,
Bennett marched beside Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. in Selma. Bennett remembers, “That
is what was needed at that time. I was glad to
stand by Dr. King. It is amazing in 40 years,
look how much Dr. King made happen. Now
just look — we have President Obama saying, ‘Yes we can!’”
What also helped mold the man was his
tight-knit, very Italian family. Bennett recalls
his youth, “My father died when I was 10. My
mother had to raise three children during
And, really, what would summer be
without a little Moondoggie? James William
Ercolani, a.k.a. Jimmy Darren, might be
best known for his role on “Gidget,” but he
recently regained the limelight when he
stared as Vic Fontaine in “Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine.”
In a rare interview with Digital Bits, Todd
Doogan calls this Philly native “one of the
coolest guys who ever walked the Earth. I
mean that in every possible way of cool
there is. Here’s a checklist: Hung out with
the Rat Pack? Check. Drag-raced on the
streets of Philly? Check. Worked with
Anthony Quinn, William Shatner and Burl
Ives? Check, check and check. This guy
SCIENCE
(Continued from Page 35)
the Depression. My mother worked so hard.
She sewed dresses for one penny per dress
just to feed her children. I remember one
particular Thanksgiving when I was 7 and
my mother was crying because we had no
food. I felt so bad for her because I knew
even then how hard she was working and
trying. I went to the movies because I heard
they were raffling off turkeys. I bought a
ticket and of all things to happen I won. I
walked in with a turkey on Thanksgiving
and I became very famous in my family.”
Bennett fondly recalls how he got his
start in show business. “Every Sunday my
family, my uncles and aunts, my cousins
and nieces would come over and make a
circle around my brother, sister and me. We
were their entertainers. They encouraged
us so much and we loved it so much that I
became an entertainer and I am still in
show business today.”
Bennett also explains how he went from
Anthony Benedetto to Tony Bennett: “It’s
quite a story, Rosemary Clooney and I were
the first American idols and were competing on the “Robert Q. Lewis Show” a long
time ago. Rosemary won the competition
and I came in second. The great entertainer
Pearl Bailey saw the show. She got a kick out
of my performance and gave me an opportunity by putting me in her show that was
being performed in Greenwich Village. It
was a special show, an all-black revue. At
the same time, Bob Hope was performing at
the Paramount. … Bob came down to the
Village to see Pearl Bailey and he enjoyed
meeting me, maybe because I was the only
white kid in the show. He called me over
and asked my name and at that time I was
using the stage name of Joe Bari. He asked
for my real name and I said Anthony
Dominick Benedetto. He told me my name
was too long for the marquee and he sad he
was going to Americanize it and he looked
at me and said, ‘You are now Tony
Bennett.’”
And, as you all know, the rest is history.
Bennett’s interview goes on to discuss his
various passions, like his Frank Sinatra
School of the Arts, his own artwork and wife
Susan. Susan is also interviewed on how
she got to be Mrs. Tony Bennett.
NEWSMAKERS
•••••
even directed episodes of ‘Hunter,’ ‘T.J.
Hooker’ and the frickin’ ‘A-Team.’ His coolness doesn’t slow down there. He’s the
hippest character in the ‘Star Trek’ universe,
he was animated in ‘The Flintstones’ and
lived with comedy legend Buddy Hackett for
12 years.”
One of his sons, Jim Moret, is the chief
correspondent for “Inside Edition.” His third
son, Tony Darren, followed in his father’s
footsteps and is a singer-songwriter.
He and his wife are godparents to Nancy
Sinatra’s daughter, Frank’s first grandchild.
•••••
And who can forget the swoon-inducing
songs of Fabian? With a charming, smile,
timeless good looks and sexy voice, he still
knows how to get the girls screaming. For
these good reasons, Fabiano Anthony Forte
ranks No. 3 in Entertainment Weekly’s “The
Top 17 Hottest Teen Idols” in history.
Since the 1950s, Fabian has had over a
dozen Billboard hits, starred in 40-plus films
and even posed for “Playgirl.” And it just so
happens this South Philly native is one the
Golden Boys who hangs and tours with EW’s
No. 2, Frankie Avalon.
Currently Fabian and his wife, the former
Miss Pennsylvania USA as well as the
Bituminous Coal Queen, work tirelessly for
the American Diabetes Foundation and the
American Heart Association. In January he
was awarded the Harvey Award from the
James M. Stewart Foundation and he has
taken a position on their board.
His son Christian is a screenwriter who is
currently working on “The Monkey Wrench
Gang,” scheduled for release in 2010.
LEGENDS
(Continued from Page 39)
quick for the weight of the bat you use. As a
result, you’re out in front of the ball too
much.” Kiner felt that being in front of the
ball and pulling it all the time made it too
easy for opposing defenses to steal hits from
Zarilla. Starting at the beginning of the 1948
season, he went from a thirty-two ounce bat
to a thirty-six ounce bat.
Finally, in spring training of 1948, Brown’s
manager Zack Taylor noticed that at certain
times Zarilla would consistently hit balls
directly to the shortstop. In the Baseball
Digest article, Taylor told Drees “When he
(Zarilla) was trying to hit to the opposite
field, he’d hold on to the bat too long. The
result was that he was hitting most every ball
so the shortstop could handle it.”
Zarilla took all these different pieces of
advice to heart and worked them all into his
hitting philosophy at the start of the new season in 1948. The results were nothing short of
miraculous. By the middle of May, Zarilla was
batting .478! According to a piece in the May
19, 1948, edition of The Sporting News by
Dent McSkimming, Earle Combs (who was
now coaching for the rival Boston Red Sox)
approached Zeke after he’d enjoyed a fourfor-four day against the Bosox and told him
“.450 in May and .250 in September.”
Whether Combs was just uttering what is
usually a baseball truism due to the fatigue of
a long season or whether he was referring to
Zarilla’s specific track record of inconsistency
is unknown. What we do know is that Zarilla
took the comment as a challenge and
enjoyed what was arguably the best season of
his career, batting .329 with 12 home runs
and 74 runs batted in. His sterling season
was rewarded with an invitation to the 1948
All Star game.
Al Zarilla was, without question, the best
hitter on the whole St. Louis Browns team in
1948. Even so, when he came out of the gate
a little slow at the start of the 1949 season,
batting only .250 after 15 games, he was traded. Truth be told, he was the very last player
from the 1944 pennant winner to be released
or traded away. Further truth is that he was
pretty pleased. He went from a perennial
basement dweller in the Browns to a perennial pennant contender in the Boston Red
Sox.
The difference in team dynamics was
immediately evident to Zarilla. “The big
change I noticed,” said Zarilla in an April
1950 article in The Sporting News, “was the
attitude of the Sox. They had that feeling of a
team that knows it’s good and the boys felt
(Continued on the next page)
they should be near the top all the time.”
According to Zarilla, he was nervous when
he first joined his new ball club and was trying to do too much. Manager Joe McCarthy
talked to Zarilla and helped him to relax.
The 1949 pennant race was a nail-biter
immortalized by David Halberstam in the
book “Summer of ’49.” Zarilla helped his
new club with his glove as much as his bat,
making some memorable catches in right
field to keep the Red Sox in games. That’s
why it was all the more painful on the last
day of the season, a playoff game between
the Yankees and Red Sox, that it was Zarilla
who made a diving plunge for a sinking, slicing bloop double off the bat of rookie Jerry
Coleman down the right field foul line that
just eluded his grasp. That hit sealed the
Yankee victory and pennant.
For years afterward, Coleman remembers
feeling guilty over the “cheapness” of the hit.
Halberstam remembers that “Forty years
later, (Ted) Williams could still remember
that last game of the 1949 pennant race. ‘Oh,
God, that cheap hit, that cheap god**** hit,’
he said. ‘It’s like yesterday. Coleman is up.
Tex makes a good pitch. A damn good pitch.
Then Bobby (Doerr) is going back and Zeke
(Zarilla) is coming in. Oh, Jesus, I can still see
it with my eyes closed. Zeke is diving for it,
and then I see it squirting to the foul line. It’s
funny how you can remember something so
painful so clearly.’”
Zarilla finished the 1949 season hitting
.281 for the Bosox while driving in 71 runs.
One of the more remarkable achievements
of his 1949 season was his record versus lefthanded pitchers. Left-handed hitters rarely
started games against left-handed pitchers.
McCarthy’s intention was to keep Zarilla out
of those situations as well but in a May contest against the Athletics, McCarthy was
forced to start Zarilla against southpaw
pitcher Bobby Shantz. Zarilla went three for
four against Shantz, the last hit being a
game-winning grand slam home run.
McCarthy started to think maybe he didn’t
need to pull Zarilla against the lefties. The
result was Zarilla ended up hitting an amazing .423 for the Sox when facing left-handed
pitching.
1950 was the last great season Zarilla
would enjoy in the majors, equaling almost
all of his high water offensive marks set in
1948. In fact, he set two more individual
records with 10 triples and a whopping .423
on-base percentage. The OBP total was the
sixth highest in the American League for
1950. Unfortunately, even though Zarilla finished the season with a .325 average and the
Red Sox team finished with an amazing .302
average, they could manage no higher than
third place despite their 94 wins. They finished four games behind the dreaded New
York Yankees.
The last three years of Al Zarilla’s career
were spent more on trains and in automobiles than on the playing field. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox for the 1951 season and hit a mediocre .257 for the year. In
1952, he started with the White Sox, got traded to the Browns and wound up back in
Boston before the end of the ’52 season. His
major league career ended with a whimper
as a part-time player for the ’53 Red Sox
when in just 67 at bats he managed only a
meager .194 average.
He played three more years in the minor
leagues, 1954 and 1955 in the Pacific Coast
League and 1956 in the Pioneer League, but
the magic was gone. Al Zarilla hung up his
spikes for good after the 1956 season.
There’s little information to be found
about Zarilla’s post-baseball years. It was
known and reported during his playing days
that he worked as a grip at the Columbia
Pictures movie studio during the off-season.
There is some evidence that he worked on
and off as a baseball scout in the years following his playing career as well.
In a small newspaper clipping dated Oct.
24, 1970, and found in the Baseball Hall of
Fame files, it says, “Ex-major leaguer Al
Zarilla will join the Senators’ coaching staff
under Ted Williams next year. Williams is
said to have promised the job to his former
Red Sox teammate, who needs only a few
months to be eligible for the pension.”
Zarilla did coach for the Senators in 1971
and then retired. He died in 1996 in
Honolulu.
In a 1951 article titled “Zarilla: Top Secret
in Boston,” Al “Zeke” Zarilla is described as
“overlooked and under-rated.” His manager
Steve O’Neill said, “He often gets that extra
base the ordinary player wouldn’t think of
trying for.”
Bart Giamatti, Yale professor and eventual president of the National League and
commissioner of baseball, named Al Zarilla
as one of the five outfielders on his All-Time
Italian-American Team, the others being Joe
and Dom DiMaggio, Sam Mele and Carl
Furillo.
Sadly, Zarilla is almost completely forgotten now, a relic of a bygone era. But truly,
“Zeke” was a force to be reckoned with in his
playing days and a baseball name that all
Italian Americans should be proud to
remember.
CINEMA
(Continued from Page 43)
diversion to my dry career in law! I wanted
to do something different, something fun.
So within two or three years, I decided to
pursue acting and I left my career in law
behind. For a couple of years though, I was
actually a lawyer and an actress! It was definitely interesting. But once I decided to pursue acting, it all moved pretty fast. Deciding
to study acting when I was older gave me an
advantage because I was more aware of
what I was doing, and I already had my own
life experiences.
FN — I’d like to talk about your character
in “Brave Men.” Tell me a little about Lucia,
her passions and also her challenges.
DF — Lucia is definitely a woman who
has to rise to a lot of challenges. She’s a
woman who needs to create a space for herself in a world that is dominated by men
and, of course, she struggles with it. She
fights left, right and center to do that. The
movie at the same time is a love story and is
a depiction of what life was like during the
’80s in the Salento area of Puglia. The love
story takes place in the city of Lecce. It
describes that historical period and the relationship between two high school friends
who loved each other ever since they were
kids but were separated and ended up being
on the opposite sides of the law. He became
a judge and she became head of the Mafia.
She lives a very hard life that is full of contradictions. We see her in many different circumstances. Sometimes she’s very harsh
and hard. Other times, she’s very sensual
and feminine. We also see her as a mother.
We see a lot of facets of her personality.
That’s the ambiguity of this character that
makes the movie so rich: the contradictions,
layers and dimensions to Lucia. She would
like to be somebody else, but the world that
she grew up in turned her into this person.
So the movie is about this deep conflict
within her, between what she actually is and
what she would like to be.
FN — Your performances are always very
intense. What do you look for in a character
that makes you want to take on that role?
DF — What fascinates me and draws me
to a certain character is her contradictions,
the idea that she can be one thing and so
many others at the same time. This is what I
saw in Lucia as well as many of my other
characters in the past. So what I like to see is
development of the character. I like to play a
character that starts out in one way and
ends up in another. I like when there is an
evolution, but the conflict within the character is what ultimately makes me say yes to
a part.
FN — Once you decide to portray a character, how do you make the transformation?
DF — First, I observe people that are like
the character in real life. In the case of Lucia,
I observed women in the Salento region of
Puglia. What I noticed the most about them
was their sweetness, and at the same time,
their ability to lead. They’re very feminine
but at the same time, they have everything
under control. You see it all in their eyes.
They have a dignity about them that comes
out of every pore of their skin. Having said
that, I also look within myself for my own
contradiction as a woman. I think that we
have everything that we need inside of us.
It’s just a matter of being able to take it out
and express it. That’s the type of skill than an
actor refines and learns to use. You learn to
actually draw from all those rich resources.
In real life, people tend not to do that. They
put on a mask and display that one character. If they really dug deep within themselves, they would have everything they
need to do whatever it is in life they want to
do.
ComUNICO
SEPT
2009
FN — At the end of they day, are you happy
with the path you chose, leaving law for cinema?
DF — Yes, I am really happy with the path
that my career has taken. I can’t complain
because I have been offered a wide range of
great roles that are very different from each
other and are all very intense. I think it’s true
that one builds her own path based on her
yeses and nos, with what you accept and what
you refuse. I chose a road based on my own
tastes and sensitivity. I continue to choose
roles that actually reflect who I am, what I like
and my sense of what cinema should be.
FN — What can we expect from you in the
future?
DF — Well, my next project is going to be
with the first director I ever worked with,
Roberta Torre, and I’m very happy about that.
It’s as if it was your first love, you know, the
first director that you ever worked with. I
learned how to be in front of the camera with
her, so it’s great for me to go back and work
with her. The film is a beautiful story about a
mother/daughter relationship. I’m really
looking forward to working on it.
Several of Finocchiaro’s films are available
through Amazon and Netflix, including
“Angela” and “The Wedding Director” (“Il regista di matrimoni”), which costars the great
Sergio Castellitto.
IO VAGABONDA
(Continued from Page 43)
seemed to me, though, that the Arthurian
search for the Holy Grail might have been a
quest more easily accomplished than finding
a job in the United States in this particular
time in history.
For the entire eight years I spent in Italy, I
can’t remember a time when I wasn’t working.
All right, let me clarify that. I spent an enormous amount of time not working, actually
goofing around and probably having more
fun than anyone really should, but I was
always employed in one form or another.
Even though I was an illegal alien the entire
time I was there, I could somehow always
find work easily and often. True, it was never
what one could classify as “white collar” or
anywhere near such a nomenclature, but
some sort of employment was always available. And I found that the approach to the
idea of “work” was very different in Italy than
anything I had been taught growing up in
America. The overall philosophy there is that
it’s more important to work to live than live to
work.
I remember when I first began studying
the Italian language, in my textbook there
was a little story about a shop owner who put
up a sign on the front door of his store one
day that read, “Earned enough money for
today. Gone to the beach.” I laughed like the
rest of the students in the class that day, as
such a thing seemed just downright silly by
our American standards. However, once I was
a permanent resident in Italy, I began to
notice signs like that on various shop doors
and windows quite frequently, and realized it
wasn’t a joke. And I began to think that Italy
was someplace I just might be able to call
home, as this kind of thinking was something
I believed I could subscribe to.
American tourists, however, often thought
very differently. I witnessed everything from
mild annoyance to outright anger if a tourist
would find a store closed. They would look at
the store hours posted in the window, look at
their watch, look at the store hours again,
look at their watch again, and then throw
their hands up in the air in utter despair,
sometimes followed by stomping feet and/or
bad words. I would always know, however,
that the owner of that particular store went to
visit their mother in the hospital, had a last
minute phone call from a friend who needed
to talk, or took their daughter to an amusement park. “Work” was a way to earn money,
yes: enough money to support the important
things in life like family, friends and fun. For
many Italians, your work doesn’t define you
as much as your life does.
Returning to America recently, this stark
THERE TO
HERE
49
contrast in philosophy was even more
apparent to me than ever. Shortly after my
arrival, I met a man who had recently been
laid off from his job of several years. He was
distraught, as one could easily imagine that
he might be. After talking with him a while, I
found out that he had stashed away enough
cash that he could easily live at least a year
without finding another job. I was thrilled for
him! I told him that this time was perhaps a
blessing in disguise. I suggested that while
he job hunt, he do things he had always
wanted to do but never had the time. I optimistically told him that I had faith that
another job will come, but how often does
one get such a huge lump of free time without the worry of financial stress? We kept in
touch during his time of unemployment,
and he unfortunately spent a lot of time fretting and complaining about not being a
“productive member of society.” I suggested
that he do some volunteer work in the meantime, if he needed an outlet for such a desire,
but somehow he had it in his mind that if he
wasn’t being paid, then it didn’t count.
Shortly thereafter, he did find a job, one that
he didn’t care for much at all, and was paid a
mere fraction of what he had been making
before, but his self-esteem issues were alleviated and he felt much better about his life
and circumstances. I was happy for him,
though I never did fully comprehend his
motives. Income is important, this I do
understand all too well. But is it the one, key
thing that makes a life complete?
Having been unemployed now myself
since January of this year, the importance of
regular income is an issue I wrestle with on a
daily basis. I know how the lack of cash flow
can put a nasty dent in one’s self-image, and
how having to rely on the kindness of others
for your basic survival is a humbling experience to say the least. I do consider myself
very fortunate and am sincerely and eternally grateful to be able to search for gainful
employment while not living in the park,
which is probably where I’d be right now if
not for my dear and magnificent friends. I
know that these extremely difficult economic times are taking a severe toll on the lives of
many, many Americans, and I don’t wish to
make light of such a serious issue. It is merely my desire to share a little “perspective
spark” that I learned from the Italian people
during my stay in their country. We are here
in this life for a very limited number of
moments. There will always be difficult
times, but it’s imperative to remember that
there will always be wonderful times, too, if
we allow them. It is important that we learn
to shift our focus from an obsolete Work
Ethic to a new, more all-encompassing Life
Ethic, in which unexpected rainy days are
not a time for anguish, but are a time to
bathe in all the refreshing joys such turns of
fate can bring us.
ANCIENT ROME
(Continued from Page 43)
to collapse, historians can point with certainty to the two brothers who started the
downward slide. The Gracchi brothers,
whose names sound more like a good handle for a grocery store chain than instigators
of revolution, came into the political arena
when Rome’s rapid expansion was straining
the government’s ability to rule. Enter
Tiberius Gracchus, Tribune of the Plebs in
133 B.C.
Tiberius was very much aware of the land
problem plaguing the Roman countryside.
He decided he could solve it by reviving an
old neglected law that limited the amount of
public land (acquired by Rome during conquests) one person could hold to 320 acres.
Land in excess would be confiscated and
redistributed to the poor. According to custom, Tiberius first should have brought his
agrarian bill before the Senate for approval.
He bypassed the Senate and went
straight to the concilium plebes. This
incensed the Senate, which wasn’t big on
reforms, especially ones that impacted their
landholdings. They tapped another tribune,
(Continued on the next page)
50
THERE TO
HERE
Octavius, to veto the bill as was his right.
Tiberius, in an unprecedented move, used
the council to depose Octavius. By denying
the right of veto by a colleague, Tiberius
took a step toward the removal of all constitutional restraints on popular will. It was
tyranny in action. The bill was passed, and
Tiberius also decided to stand as tribune
another year, even though this violated the
law of limited tenure. Ultimately, a group of
senators killed Tiberius and 300 of his followers in a street riot.
For the first time in Rome’s domestic politics, the Senate had resorted to violence in
response to a new and very real threat by the
plebs. The boundaries of proper behavior
had been crossed. All those who witnessed
the transgressions had an “aha” moment.
Why bother with mos maiorum, the way of
the ancestors? Why not simply kill your
political opponents?
The next troublemaker up to bat was
brother Gaius Gracchus, tribune in 123 and
122 B.C. Gaius was a flamboyant demagogue who tried to lessen the power of the
Senate as well as seek revenge for his brother’s death. He came in with a program of
reform bills he wanted passed that benefited the welfare of the people but weakened
the Senate. One piece of legislation, however, made him unpopular with both Senate
and Rome’s “mob.” He proposed granting
citizenship to the Latins and Latin rights to
all other Italian allies. Citizenship was
something the Romans selfishly guarded.
Perceiving a threat to the state, the Senate
took out another Gracchus brother. In a
bloody street riot in Rome’s center, 3,000 of
G. Gracchus’ supporters were murdered
and Gracchus himself possibly committed
suicide. The bodies of both brothers were
tossed in the Tiber. Cast off with them were
the old established patterns of behavior, an
ominous portent of things to come.
Violence, anarchy and civil war were now
possibilities for any ambitious man seeking
power and wealth.
Gaius Marius, a “new man” of humble
origins and the uncle of Julius Caesar
through marriage, was the next populare
protagonist to leave his mark on Rome.
Marius was a great military leader who first
impressed the people of Rome by successfully ending a war that began in 111 B.C.
with King Jugurtha of Numidia (Algeria), a
war that the incompetent Senate hadn’t
been able to win in four years. Over the
protest of the Senate, Marius was elected
consul in 107 B.C., an office he held seven
times. Next, Marius resolved a looming
threat to Italy itself posed by two Germanic
tribes menacing close to the Italian borders.
Three Roman armies had met with defeat.
The people of Rome were panicked as they
remembered the ferocious barbarian invasion of 390 B.C. that destroyed Rome.
Marius was awarded unparalleled power
(imperium) to fight the battles and was held
in awe by the Roman populace when he
succeeded in crushing the enemy by 101
B.C.
In order to achieve his significant victories, Marius overhauled the entire Roman
military system, transforming the army
from a militia of Roman citizen farmers to a
paid professional force drawn from the
noncitizen urban proletariat. This was a big
deal and inadvertently led directly to the
downfall of the Republic. Now a soldier’s
loyalty rested not with the Roman state but
with his commander, the man who would
share the spoils of war with him. Though
Marius retired when his incompetence
began to show, he came back to lead and stir
up trouble in the years that followed.
Rome’s next big event was the Social War.
In 91 B.C., war was instigated when an arrogant tribune named Drusus was murdered
for again proposing the enfranchisement of
the Italian noncitizen allies. The allies had
fought alongside the Roman citizens, yet
suffered from economic inequities. This
time, the angry allies rose up in arms and
seceded to form a new state, Italia. It was a
pointless, savage civil war that lasted three
years and ended with the rightful granting
of citizenship to all free Italians. Rome’s next
great leader, the sociopath Lucius Cornelius
Sulla, emerged during the Social War.
Sulla proved to be a talented military
leader and led forces in the south of Italy.
Marius came out of retirement to lead in the
SEPT
2009
ComUNICO
north. There was no love lost between the
two men. Sulla was a pedigreed though
impoverished nobleman who championed
the traditional optimates, while Marius
sided with the populares. Once the Social
War ended, all hell broke loose between
them, plunging the Republic into a horrifying abyss of violent civil war. And, so, the
saga continued.
In 89 B.C., while Sulla and Marius were
engaged in the Social War, King Mithridates
VI of Pontus leaped at the opportunity to
wreak havoc in the east. He seized Roman
Asia and encouraged a Greek revolt.
Though the figures are probably exaggerated, the king ordered the execution of
80,000 Italians and Romans living in his
domain. Both Marius and Sulla hungered
for the command to crush the king. The
Senate gave the post to their buddy, Sulla,
who was consul in 88 B.C. An elderly
Marius, however, seeking the rewards of
conquest for himself, linked up with a
vibrant tribune named Sulpicius. He
manipulated the populares plebeian
assembly to name Marius commander to
the same post.
When word reached Sulla, he was in
Campania with six legions. Furious, he
marched his army against Rome itself in an
unprecedented act of revolution, claiming
he was liberating the city from a despot.
The blood of civil war washed the streets of
Rome, and Sulla’s army emerged victorious. Marius escaped to Africa, and Sulla
went off to fight King Mithridates. The situation crystallized the growing tension
between optimates and populares and
demonstrated a new level of disrespect for
Rome’s constitutional forms. Mayhem now
ruled the day.
Sulla and Marius weren’t yet done with
one another or with Rome. While Sulla was
engaged with Mithridates, Marius returned
to Rome in 87 B.C. with a small force of
motley recruits and joined forces with a
rebel consul named Lucius Cinna. Together
they stormed Rome and engaged in
revenge butchery, slaughtering those Sulla
supporters who had betrayed him. Marius
made himself consul for the seventh and
last time in 86 B.C., but died shortly after
taking office. His supporters, however,
remained.
Meanwhile, Sulla forged a rather dishonorable peace with Mithridates in
exchange for money and supplies. After
looting Roman Asia, he returned to wreak
more havoc on the Roman people. He
fought a vicious civil war, eventually
declaring himself dictator with no limits,
and proceeded to rid the entire country of
his enemies. He posted lists called proscriptions naming all political opponents
who could be murdered for a price, their
property then sold off at auction for discounted prices. Thousands were brutally
annihilated.
Historian Appian writes: “Some were …
bodily heaved up from where they were
and taken and thrown at Sulla’s feet. Others
were dragged through the street and kicked
to death, the spectators being too frightened to utter a word of protest.”
Those who escaped were hunted down
by spies. Decapitated heads were displayed
in public. Three thousand were slaughtered
in the Circus Maximus on one day. When
Sulla had finished with his atrocities, he
proceeded to restore the government to its
former position where the optimates and
Senate once again wielded power. His goal
had not been to overthrow the government
but to restore it. In truth, however, his
actions only hastened the destruction of
the Republic. He hadn’t addressed the
underlying cause for discontent and left a
legacy of hatred.
VIAGGIO
(Continued from Page 45)
Persian deity Mithras — a male-only cult
especially popular with Roman soldiers
that featured a gory initiation rite in which
the new member was bathed in the blood
of a sacrificed bull. Mithraic cult rooms
can be identified by the presence of a stat-
ue group, or a relief sculpture on an altar,
showing Mithras killing a bull. There’s a
Mithraeum below S. Clemente; others (open
only occasionally) can be found under the
little church of S. Prisca on the Aventine Hill
and under the church of S. Stefano Rotondo;
there’s one close to the Circus Maximus, one
under the Baths of Caracalla, and still another beneath Palazzo Barberini.
Enough remains of the Colosseum and at
least the outlines of the Circus Maximus for
modern visitors to imagine them as what
they originally were: an immense sports
arena and a racecourse. It’s less obvious that
Rome’s marvelous Piazza Navona — site of
Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers,
Borromini’s church of S. Agnese in Agone,
and the splendid Pamphili family palazzo
that’s now the Brazilian embassy — was also
once an ancient Roman racecourse. An aerial view clearly shows the elongated oval
shape, a smaller version of the Circus
Maximus. Since some of Rome’s most expensive real estate rims Piazza Navona, it’s obvious why archeologists can’t excavate there.
They’ve had to content themselves with digging out a small portion of the northernmost
curve, exposing the stonework of the stadium, built for the emperor Domitian in the
late first century A.D. Visitors can peer down
into the site from the street and guided tours
are sometimes offered, but they’re a disappointment, as the excavations aren’t extensive and the tour doesn’t show you much
more than what you can see from the street.
Rumor has it, though, that all the privately
owned buildings around Piazza Navona
have well-preserved remains of Domitian’s
stadium in their basements.
There are many more underground sites
to be found in Rome, among them one that’s
quite exotic and others decidedly down-toearth. Visitors are often puzzled by the sight
of a pyramid in Rome, rearing up near the
Porta S. Paolo, in the middle of a busy network of streets. Once, while on a bus with my
friend and fellow Fra Noi writer Terri
Maxfield, we overheard some tourists
exclaiming, “Oooh look! A pyramid! I wonder
what they used it for?” “That’s where they
buried the gladiators,” Terri muttered in my
ear. Noooo, not really! Built during the
height of Roman “egyptomania” in the first
century B.C., it’s the tomb of Gaius Cestius, a
Roman political figure who achieved
immortality through his choice of a burial
monument. It was long ago broken into and
looted — there’s no trace of Gaius Cestius
beyond the inscription on the exterior that
records his name and the extraordinary fact
that the pyramid was built in 330 days.
Inside, early Christians hewed out a rough
little shrine, and steps lead down into belowground chambers of uncertain use. On rare
occasions the interior of the pyramid is open
for guided tours, and it’s worth going on
such a tour if only for the sheer oddity of it.
Continuing down the social ladder as well
as literal ladders, there are a couple of other
underground sites worth mentioning, as
they too are sometimes open for guided
tours. One is an amazingly well-preserved
ancient Roman fire station, located under a
nondescript building just off Viale di
Trastevere, at Via della VII Coorte, 9. The
strange name — “Street of the 7th Cohort” —
refers to this fire station, manned during the
time of the emperor Augustus by a Roman
military unit known as a cohort. Fires were
so common and so destructive in an era
when Rome was largely a city of wood and
brick that the emperor put highly trained
military personnel in charge of fire-fighting.
After descending a long, steep staircase the
visitor enters a complex of rooms that
includes sleeping quarters, storage areas, a
latrine and a large central courtyard (once
open to the sky) with a fountain at its center.
There’s even what appears to be a shrine,
dedicated to whatever deity protected firemen. Fighting fires has always been a dangerous job.
If you’ve ever wondered how Rome, a city
of more than a million at the height of the
imperial period, accommodated people’s —
ah — sanitary needs, a visit to one of the
ancient city’s only surviving public latrines
will answer the question. The Forica della via
Garibaldi, on the Janiculum Hill near the
church of S. Pietro in Montorio, is hidden
behind a modern door and getting to it
requires a tricky descent — by ladder at the
time I visited. The latrine consists of a room
with a series of keyhole-shaped holes cut
into a long marble slab and set over a trench
that used to be furnished with running
water, the latter courtesy of Trajan’s nearby
aqueduct. No privacy provided – users would
have sat cheek to cheek, so to speak, and
whether it was sex-segregated is unknown.
But if an ancient Roman asked “Ubi forica
est?” — Where’s the bathroom? — a fellow citizen could have pointed to this and hundreds
of similar facilities all over the city.
IN VINO VERITAS
(Continued from Page 47)
through the years, the Mondavi family initiated a capital improvement project in 1999 that
continues today, to invest more in vineyard
development and technology, improve winemaking techniques and facilities, and to prove
that great American wine can also be great
world wine.
Vineyard improvements have included
replanting most of the acreage to Bordeaux
varieties, based on extensive research in
clones and rootstock. Winery improvements
include a new barrel program of French oak
and more precise timing, new equipment for
crushing and destemming, a new fruit sorting
system to ensure selection of only the highest
quality grapes, and new fermentation tanks to
ensure greater control of the temperature and
length of fermentation.
In 1995, Peter Sr. was honored by the Napa
Valley Vintners Association as one of the
twelve “living legends” of Napa Valley. In 2009,
after spending his entire adult life making
wine and making Napa Valley wine more
accessible to the public, received a Lifetime
Achievement Award at the California State
Fair in recognition of his accomplishments.
TASTING NOTES
2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley, $18) —
Bright, brilliant flavors of grapefruit, peach
and guava. Score: 85
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Yountville,
Napa Valley, $27) — Scents of blackberries and
mocha, repeated on a rich palate, accent on
cherries. Score: 86
2005 Generations Family Reserve (Napa
Valley, $50) — A blend of cabernet sauvignon,
merlot, petit verdot, and syrah, this wine is
soft, succulent, and full of dark fruit flavors
with a thread of black pepper from front to
back. Score: 90
Editor's Note: Dick Rosano’s wine rating system is
based on quality and price and breaks down as follows: 96-100 (excellent, worth any price), 91-95 (very
high quality, worth a high price if you can afford it),
86-90 (high quality, worth the price if you like that
type of wine), 81-85 (moderately good, should shop
around for best price), 76-80 (some defects but generally acceptable), 70-75 (of doubtful value), below 70
(not worth drinking).
ANTIPASTI
(Continued from Page 47)
until it reaches the top and seal the jar tightly
with the lid. After the lid is tightly on, gently
place the whole mason jar into the boiling
water so it is completely submerged and let it
boil for 8 minutes. Make sure the jar is completely under water or it will break. Once the 8
minutes have passed, remove the jar and set
upside down on the counter for about 20 minutes. Leaving the jar upside down allows a
tighter seal to form.
The jar will still be warm when the 20 minutes have passed, but it is OK to turn the jar
back over and store it in the pantry. While the
asparagus will be good for months, you can
start to eat them as soon as one week after
processing. The preserved asparagus has a
lightly spicy, vinegar flavor perfect for martinis
or with a good prosciutto.
There are resources to turn to in looking for
more ideas, both in books and online.
Remember that it is always good to look for
information on the items you are going to preserve before you actually go ahead and do it.
So grab a hold of the treasures of the summer
and fill your pantry. There is no reason to not
have a little bit of sunshine in your pantry on
the gloomiest of winter days!
Michael Ponzio is the executive chef of Volare in
Oak Brook, Illinois.
vastola
award
A humble and most deserving Paul Alongi accepted
the Dr. Anthony P. Vastola Award.
Inauguration and installation of officers
Delegates from UNICO Chapters across the nation
enjoyed the inauguration ceremony on Saturday
morning. UNICO banners from individual chapters
and districts festooned the convention hall.
President André delivers his inaugural speech to
the convention crowd.
UNICO National’s highest honor is the Vastola
Award named after the founder of UNICO. Many
Vastola awardees attended our 2009 Convention.
around the ritz carlton
André DiMino takes the oath of office as President
of UNICO National. Outgoing National President
Kathi Strozza conducted the ceremony and Jenny
DiMino held the Bible.
New UNICO National Officers are sworn into office
en masse.
The UNICO President’s gaval is passed to André.
Frank Greco receives the UNICO Treasurer’s pin as
well as all of the responsibilities of the job.
A relieved and happy Kathi Strozza celebrates the
end of her UNICO presidential year.
President André and Jenny with the Lipari girls
Kathi Strozza joins the PNP Club ! Above, Kathi
receives her official PNP pin.
The DiMino family celebrates the chievement of
new UNICO President André,
President & First Lady- André and Jenny DiMino
convention hospitality- All work and no play make giacamo a dull boy
Deana Martin (Dean Martin’s daughter) with our
Dean Martin impersonator.
First Lady Jenny DiMino swoons to the music of
Dean Martin who was born as Dino Crocetti!
PNP John Alati explains that our Dean Martin impersonator, Andy DiMino, is probably a relative of
President André. Both trace their roots back to the
small Sicilian village of Grotte.
President André sings the Dean Martin standard
and convention theme song “Ain’t That a Kick in
the Head” along with our Dean Martin impersonator and surprise guest Deana Martin.
First Lady Jenny DiMino dances with John Griffeth
who is Deana Martin’s husband.